title: HIV-2 genetic variation and DNA load in asymptomatic carriers and AIDS cases in Guinea-Bissau.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to document which genetic subtypes of HIV-2 are present in Guinea-Bissau and to investigate whether asymptomatic HIV-2 carriers and AIDS patients carry distinct genetic variants. A secondary aim was to correlate proviral DNA load to clinical and immunologic status of the patients. Thirty-eight asymptomatic HIV-2 carriers and 11 AIDS patients from Bissau, Guinea-Bissau were included in a cross-sectional study in which HIV-2 env V3 sequences, HIV-2 DNA load, and CD4-positive (CD4+) lymphocyte counts were determined. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all investigated subjects carried subtype A HIV-2 variants and that the sequences from AIDS patients and asymptomatic carriers did not form distinct subclusters in the tree. As expected, patients with AIDS had significantly higher median HIV-2 DNA load than did asymptomatic carriers (4.6 vs. 2.0 log10 HIV-2 DNA copies/10(6) CD4+ lymphocytes). Our study indicates that the HIV-2 epidemic in Guinea-Bissau is almost exclusively caused by subtype A HIV-2 variants and that the HIV-2 infections among the asymptomatic carriers and AIDS cases included in the study do not have distinct epidemiologic histories.
authors.affiliation: National Public Health Laboratory, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Norrgren
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marquina
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leitner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aaby
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melbye
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Poulsen
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Escanilla
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nauclér
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D006169:Guinea-Bissau / Q000453:epidemiology; D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160 / Q000235:genetics; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004279:DNA, Viral; D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160