Seroprevalence of HIV-1 and HIV-2 infection among children diagnosed with protein-calorie malnutrition in Nigeria.
Excessive weight loss due to protein calorie malnutrition (PCM) is a significant problem in Nigerian children. This syndrome may be difficult to differentiate from the wasting disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. We studied 70 children admitted to the Baptist Medical Center in Ogbomosho, Nigeria in 1990 with PCM for prevalence of antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2. The cohort was from low-risk mothers and had a median age of 25 months (range, 4 months-9 years) with a weight deficit of at least 20% of the theoretical weight for age. Two sera were positive for anti-HIV-1 by both ELISA and Western blot (WB). A high prevalence of samples negative for HIV-1 antibody by ELISA were repeatedly reactive (11%, 8/70) or indeterminate (46%, 32/70) by WB. None of the sera was positive for antibody to HIV-2. There was no correlation of ELISA positivity or extent of WB banding with successful recovery from malnutrition. These results indicate a relatively low but significant prevalence of HIV-1 infection in Nigerian children with PCM. The high prevalence of indeterminate reactions in WB assays for HIV-1 suggests that other procedures may be necessary for confirmatory diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in this African population.
Fischer
G D
GD
Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15261.
Rinaldo
C R
CR
Gbadero
D
D
Kingsley
L A
LA
Ndimbie
O
O
Howard
C
C
Montemayor
P C
PC
Langer
A
A
Sibolboro
W
W
D015153:Blotting, Western; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*
D015483:HIV Antibodies