HIV-2 genetic variation and DNA load in asymptomatic carriers and AIDS cases in Guinea-Bissau

• Published in: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes and human retrovirology Vol. 16; no. 1; p. 31
• Main Authors: Norrgren, H, Marquina, S, Leitner, T, Aaby, P, Melbye, M, Poulsen, A G, Larsen, O, Dias, F, Escanilla, D, Andersson, S, Albert, J, Nauclér, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.1997
• Subjects: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - epidemiology; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - immunology; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - virology; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Amino Acid Sequence; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; DNA Primers - chemistry; DNA, Viral - analysis; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Genetic Variation - genetics; Guinea-Bissau - epidemiology; HIV Envelope Protein gp160 - genetics; HIV-2 - genetics; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Viral Load; Guinea-Bissau; Measurement; Prevalence; Africa; Viral Diseases; Hiv Infections; Urban Population; Research Methodology; Diseases; Portuguese Speaking Africa; Western Africa; Hiv; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Population Characteristics; Population; Research Report; Developing Countries; Africa South Of The Sahara; Demographic Factors; Guinea-bissau
• ISSN: 1077-9450
• DOI: 10.1097/00042560-199709010-00005

The purpose of this study was to document which genetic subtypes of HIV-2 are present in Guinea-Bissau and to investigate whether asymptomatic HIV-2 carriers and AIDS patients carry distinct genetic variants. A secondary aim was to correlate proviral DNA load to clinical and immunologic status of the patients. Thirty-eight asymptomatic HIV-2 carriers and 11 AIDS patients from Bissau, Guinea-Bissau were included in a cross-sectional study in which HIV-2 env V3 sequences, HIV-2 DNA load, and CD4-positive (CD4+) lymphocyte counts were determined. Phylogenetic analyses showed that all investigated subjects carried subtype A HIV-2 variants and that the sequences from AIDS patients and asymptomatic carriers did not form distinct subclusters in the tree. As expected, patients with AIDS had significantly higher median HIV-2 DNA load than did asymptomatic carriers (4.6 vs. 2.0 log10 HIV-2 DNA copies/10(6) CD4+ lymphocytes). Our study indicates that the HIV-2 epidemic in Guinea-Bissau is almost exclusively caused by subtype A HIV-2 variants and that the HIV-2 infections among the asymptomatic carriers and AIDS cases included in the study do not have distinct epidemiologic histories.