title: The absence of anti-Tat antibodies is associated with risk of disease progression in HIV-2 infection.
abstract: The Tat protein of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is essential for viral replication and has extracellular pathogenic activity. We sought to determine whether the anti-Tat antibody response was predictive of disease progression in 144 HIV type 2 (HIV-2)-infected subjects observed longitudinally between 1985 and 2003. Sixty-eight percent of the subjects tested positive for anti-Tat antibodies, with reactivity notably established early after seroconversion and stably maintained over the course of infection. The risk and rate of progression to advanced HIV-2 AIDS was significantly higher in anti-Tat-negative subjects than in anti-Tat-positive subjects, extending the importance of this prognostic marker for HIV-2 AIDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Shaun K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Abdoulaye Dieng
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sarr
authors.forename: Olushola
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Olorunnipa
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Popper
authors.forename: Aissatou
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gueye-Ndiaye
authors.forename: Ibrahima
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Traoré
authors.forename: Mamadou C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dia
authors.forename: Souleymane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mboup
authors.forename: Phyllis J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kanki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000276:immunology*; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015696:Gene Products, tat; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus