Absence of chronic human immunodeficiency virus infection without seroconversion in intravenous drug users: a prospective and retrospective study.
It has been reported that human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection may exist in persons without specific antibodies for years. To measure the frequency of a silent carrier state, a study was conducted in a cohort of 124 intravenous drug users (IVDUs) without anti-HIV-1 antibodies. All the participants had engaged in high-risk behavior for HIV-1 transmission for a number of years until 1987 or later. Samples were analyzed at 6-month intervals for the presence of HIV-1 provirus using DNA amplification and for the appearance of anti-HIV-1 antibodies. HIV-1 provirus and antibodies were undetectable in 122 participants, whereas seroconversion was observed in 2. In one of these, both amplified HIV-1 pol gene segment and anti-HIV-1 antibodies were detected simultaneously, and in the other, provirus was detected 1 month before seroconversion. This study suggests that long-term HIV-1 infection without anti-HIV-1 antibodies is rare and that repeated antibody testing is sufficient to determine the HIV-1 status of a person no longer at high risk for HIV-1 infection.
Division of Infectious Disease, Geneva University Hospital, Switzerland.
S
S
Yerly
E
E
Chamot
J J
JJ
Déglon
B
B
Hirschel
L H
LH
Perrin
D000328:Adult; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002353:Carrier State / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015483:HIV Antibodies