title: Antibodies reactive with human immunodeficiency virus gag-coded antigens (gag reactive only) are a major cause of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay reactivity in a blood donor population.
abstract: Normal blood donors were examined for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-reactive antibodies with both virus- and Escherichia coli-expressed env- and gag-coded antigens. The frequency of samples from normal (low-risk) donors that were repeatedly reactive with an HIV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay blood screening test (Du Pont Co.) was 0.6%. Two classes of HIV serological reactivity were identified: a minor env-reactive class (0.03 to 0.06% of donors) and the predominant env-nonreactive gag-reactive class (gag reactive only [GRO]) (0.4 to 0.5% of donors). Assignment of env reactivity was made by a synthetic (recombinant) env enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus immunoblot. Most GRO sera reacted with p15/p17 bands on HIV immunoblot. Antibody specificity in GRO sera was confirmed by competition-binding studies with viral gag and E. coli-expressed p55gag. This study provides independent verification that gag-specific antibodies are present in many env-nonreactive sera. More serological and virological studies of individuals with this antibody pattern should be pursued to determine the origin of these gag-reactive antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Medical Products Department, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Delaware 19898.
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Tribe
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lindell
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Kenealy
authors.forename: B Q
authors.initials: BQ
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cybulski
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Winslow
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Waselefsky
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Petteway
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001782:Blood Donors; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology*; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins