title: HIV 2: A Benign Onlooker or A Subtle Threat?
abstract: HIV-2 infection, originally discovered in West Africa, has now been found in many countries throughout the world including India. Despite it being a long acquaintance with the virus, not much is known about it conclusively. The present study was conducted at the ICTC of a tertiary care hospital catering to the needs of Jaipur and adjoining districts, to find the prevalence of HIV 2 among ICTC attendees. A total of 8190 clients accessed ICTC services during the study period, out of which 135 were HIV-seropositive, giving a prevalence of 1.64%. There was only a single positive case for HIV 2, giving a seroprevalence of 0.01% and none was reactive for antibodies of both HIV-1 and HIV-2. We suggest that in low prevalence areas like ours, assays capable of detecting both HIV 1 and HIV 2 must continue to be used to make our understanding of the deadly virus better and also make our combat more effective.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College , Jaipur, Rajasthan, India .
authors.forename: Ekadashi Rajni
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Sabharwal
authors.affiliation: Professor & Head, Department of Microbiology, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College , Jaipur, Rajasthan, India .
authors.forename: Shweta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Jhalawar Medical College , Jhalawar, Rajasthan, India .
authors.forename: Gaurav
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dalela
keywords: HIV 2; ICTC; Seroprevalence