HIV-1 detection and subtyping by PCR and heteroduplex mobility assay in blood donors: can these tests help to elucidate conflicting serological results?
Testing blood donors for the human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1 and 2), requires serological tests that are frequently inconclusive. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 50 blood donors with the screening test (ELISA) reactive to HIV-1, but with indeterminate results in the first Western Blot (WB) performed, were submitted to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA), a nonsequencing method that can distinguish between HIV-1 subtypes (A to I). PCR amplification of HIV-1 env gene regions has been obtained in 12 (24.0%) samples. HMA of the amplified DNA showed that 12 belonged to HIV-1 B subtype and one to F subtype. PCR testing of the amplified DNA helped to elucidate doubtful serological results and HMA proved to be a relatively simple and rapid way of subtyping HIV-1 for epidemiological purposes.
Barbosa
E F
EF
Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. edelfb@mona.icb.ufmg.br
Carneiro-Proietti
A B
AB
Oliveira
D R
DR
Lima-Martins
M V
MV
Kroon
E G
EG
Ferreira
P C
PC
D000328:Adult; D001782:Blood Donors; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015752:Genes, env; D005838:Genotype; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods*
D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes