title: Infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human T cell lymphotropic viruses among leprosy patients and contacts: correlation between HIV-1 cross-reactivity and antibodies to lipoarabinomannan.
abstract: To determine the association between leprosy and human retroviral infections, 57 leprosy patients, 39 leprosy contacts, and 500 pregnant women were investigated serologically for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) and human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) types I and II. Antibodies to Mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I), and lipoarabinomannan (LAM) were also analyzed. A low prevalence of HIV-1 infection was observed among leprosy patients (3.5%), leprosy contacts (0), and pregnant women (3.6%). Antibodies to HTLV-I but not -II were found more often in leprosy patients (8.7%) and contacts (12.8%) than in pregnant women (0). Sera from leprosy patients and leprosy contacts were often false-positive for HIV-1 by ELISA and were indeterminate by Western blot. LAM IgM and PGL-I IgM antibodies in sera from leprosy patients yielded significant cross-reactivities with HIV-1 pol and gag proteins. These data suggest that mycobacterial cell wall antigens may share common epitopes with HIV. Caution should be exercised when interpreting HIV-1 ELISA and Western blot data from regions where leprosy or other mycobacterial diseases are endemic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Biology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kashala
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marlink
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ilunga
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diese
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gormus
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mukeba
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kasongo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essex
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D006800:Deltaretrovirus Infections / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology; D015684:Gene Products, pol / Q000276:immunology; D006017:Glycolipids / Q000276:immunology; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000276:immunology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015684:Gene Products, pol; D006017:Glycolipids; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; C050016:lipoarabinomannan; C045169:phenolic glycolipid I, Mycobacterium leprae