A seroepidemiological study of human immunodeficiency virus infection in northeast Zaire.
To evaluate the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 infections in an endemic African area, we have studied 134 patients from Northeast Zaire. Sera were tested for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies to asses cross-reactivity or a possible double infection. Sixty five (48.5%) serum samples were reactive for HIV-1 and six (4.5%) for HIV-2 using specific Western blots. The enzyme immunoassays used to detect HIV-2 showed cross-reactivity with HIV-1 in 17 samples (16.5%). Tests based upon synthetic peptides corresponding to specific from human immunodeficiency viruses confirm their ability to discriminate antibodies directed against both viruses in 42/47 samples (89.4%); in 5/47 (10.6%) this test could not distinguish double infection from cross-reactivity. We suggest that the high number of sexual partners may be responsible for HIV transmission in our study group.
Bernal
M C
MC
Dept. of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Granada, Spain.
Galán
M I
MI
Ocete
M D
MD
Leyva
A
A
García
F
F
García-Valdecasas
J
J
Maroto
M C
MC
Piédrola
G
G
D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D015497:HIV-1; D015498:HIV-2; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D012747:Sexual Partners