Lack of detection of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in the saliva of infected children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in the saliva of infected children and adolescents.


METHODS
Saliva and blood samples were collected from 13 patients (age range, 1-15 years) with HIV-1 infection. Eleven were taking antiretroviral agents. The presence of HIV-1 was determined by polymerase chain reaction analysis of RNA and DNA as well as by viral culture of the saliva samples and by culture of peripheral blood mononuclear cells.


RESULTS
Although HIV-1 was cultured from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 12 patients, it was not cultured from their saliva. Only 1 of 13 saliva samples yielded positive test results for HIV-1 RNA, and none did so for HIV-1 DNA. The specimen containing HIV-1 RNA was from an untreated 10-year-old asymptomatic boy with a CD4+ lymphocyte count of 0.91 x 10(9)/L (913 cells/microL) and no infectious virus detected in plasma.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of HIV-1 in the saliva of HIV-1-infected children and adolescents is low and may not be infectious.
Melvin
A J
AJ
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital and Medical Center, Seattle, Wash, USA.
Tamura
G S
GS
House
J K
JK
Hobson
A C
AC
Cone
R W
RW
Frenkel
L M
LM
Burchett
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load