title: Diagnosis and prevalence of HIV-2 antibodies in different population subsets in The Netherlands.
abstract: A serum panel obtained from male homosexuals (n = 278); i.v. drug abusers (n = 99), patients attending a VD clinic (n = 390), blood donors who visited Central or West Africa (n = 573), blood donors who had sexual contact with natives from Central or West Africa (n = 38), blood donors from Surinam, South America (n = 481), individuals positive for anti-HIV-1 (n = 94), individuals with indeterminate HIV-1 western blot (WB) reactions (n = 73), African patients with AIDS or AIDS-related symptoms (n = 30), and random Dutch blood donors (n = 555), was tested with HIV-2 ELISA (ELAVIA-2). Of these 2,611 samples, 32 (1.2%) were repeatedly reactive. Antibodies to gp140/105env were found in 4/32 by HIV-2 WB, and in 1/4 by radioimmunoprecipitation (RIPA). These 4 HIV-2 WB-positive samples were also reactive with gp160/120env in HIV-1 WB, suggesting cross-reactivity. In a spot test with synthetic peptides of the transmembrane glycoprotein of both HIV types, 3/4 were only HIV-1 positive and 1/4 was strongly HIV-2 positive and weakly HIV-1 positive. In inhibition assays with soluble HIV-1 or HIV-2 synthetic peptides in HIV-1 and HIV-2 peptide ELISA, cross-reactivity was excluded, which indicates an HIV variant or HIV-1/HIV-2 double infection. It is concluded that for the moment HIV-2 infection is at low prevalence in risk groups in The Netherlands, and that in addition to WB and RIPA, synthetic peptide assays are useful for differentiation between HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Red Cross Blood Bank Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: van der Poel
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Lelie
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Reesink
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Couroucé
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cot
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Exel-Oehlers
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Theobalds
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buitenwerf
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Huisman
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D015531:Radioimmunoprecipitation Assay
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies