title: HIV-specific IgG in cervicovaginal secretions of exposed HIV-uninfected female sexual partners of HIV-infected men.
abstract: The presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-specific antibodies was examined in plasma and cervicovaginal (mucosal) samples of 24 HIV-exposed uninfected (EU) female sexual partners of HIV-infected men, and compared with findings in 18 HIV-infected and 15 low-risk HIV-uninfected women. Only HIV-infected women had detectable HIV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) (18 of 18) or HIV-IgA (6 of 18) in cervicovaginal samples by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). However, 3 of 24 EU women had positive Western blot (WB) for HIV-IgG in cervicovaginal secretions, while 2 of 24 EU women and 1 of 15 low-risk controls had indeterminate IgG-WB. EU women with positive or indeterminate IgG-WB in the cervicovaginal samples were similar in risk to the remaining EU women. None of the HIV-uninfected women had mucosal HIV-IgA. The findings suggest that some sexually or parenterally exposed HIV-uninfected women might develop low-level mucosal IgG responses. However, it appears unlikely that HIV-specific cervicovaginal antibodies play a major role in protection from HIV infection in this EU population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. buchacz@sdac.harvard.edu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Buchacz
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Parekh
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Padian
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van der Straten
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jonte
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Holmberg
mesh_terms: D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000378:metabolism*; D003710:Demography; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D018023:HIV Seronegativity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D014621:Vagina / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G