Cervicovaginal anti-HIV antibodies in HIV-seronegative female sex workers in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
OBJECTIVE
To detect anti-HIV antibodies in cervicovaginal secretions of HIV-seronegative female sex workers and to evaluate whether the presence of these antibodies is associated with increased sexual exposure.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out at a confidential clinic for female sex workers in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The participants were 342 HIV-seronegative female sex workers in whom a cervicovaginal lavage was collected. The main outcome measures were the detection of antibodies to HIV-1 in cervicovaginal lavages using an in-house and a commercial (Seradyn Sentinel; Calypte Biomedical Corporation, Berkeley, California, USA) enzyme immunoassay; the detection of semen in cervicovaginal lavages; and the assessment of epidemiological and biological markers of sexual exposure to HIV.


RESULTS
Cervicovaginal anti-HIV antibodies were detected in 7.3 and 29.8% of women using in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Seradyn Sentinel respectively. All cervicovaginal secretions found to be positive by in-house ELISA were also positive by Seradyn Sentinel. In a minority of women, ranging from 2.9% by in-house ELISA to 12.3% by Seradyn Sentinel, the anti-HIV antibodies were present in vaginal fluids that did not contain semen. Sexual exposure to HIV was similar in women with anti-HIV antibodies in their semen-free cervicovaginal secretions compared with women without anti-HIV antibodies in their cervicovaginal secretions.


CONCLUSIONS
Cervicovaginal HIV-specific antibodies were detected in a minority of sexually exposed HIV-seronegative female sex workers in Abidjan. The lack of association between increased sexual exposure to HIV and presence of cervicovaginal HIV-specific antibodies suggests that the production of genital HIV-specific antibodies in exposed seronegative women depends on the ability of individual women to mount specific mucosal immunity to HIV antigens, the determinants of which are currently unknown.
Ghys
P D
PD
Projet RETRO-CI, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. ghysp@unaids.org
Bélec
L
L
Diallo
M O
MO
Ettiègne-Traoré
V
V
Becquart
P
P
Maurice
C
C
Nkengasong
J N
JN
Coulibaly
I M
IM
Greenberg
A E
AE
Laga
M
M
Wiktor
S Z
SZ
D000328:Adult; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000276:immunology*; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D018023:HIV Seronegativity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D011477:Sex Work; D014621:Vagina / Q000276:immunology*
D015483:HIV Antibodies