ON THE ISSUE
OF FALSE HIV POSITIVES IN AFRICA…
"...
ELISA and WB results should be interpreted with caution when screening individuals
infected with M. tuberculosis or other mycobacterial species. ELISA and WB may
not be sufficient for HIV diagnosis in AIDS-endemic areas of Central Africa
where the prevalence of mycobacterial diseases is quite high." -- from:
The Journal of Infectious Diseases 1994;169 (February)
I'm compiling quotes/citations like this. I would be grateful for any suggestions.
-- Robert Johnston,
HEAL Toronto, http://healtoronto.com
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Authors
Kashala O. Marlink R. Ilunga M. Diese M. Gormus B. Xu K. Mukeba P. Kasongo K.
Essex M.
Institution: Department of Cancer Biology, Harvard School of Public Health,
Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
Title: Infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human
T cell lymphotropic viruses among leprosy patients and contacts: correlation
between HIV-1 cross-reactivity and antibodies to lipoarabinomannan [see comments].
Comments: Comment in: J Infect Dis 1995 Feb;171(2):502-4
Source: Journal of Infectious Diseases. 169(2):296-304, 1994 Feb.
Local Messages Held at Gerstein, U of Toronto
Abstract: To determine the association between leprosy and human retroviral
infections, 57 leprosy patients, 39 leprosy contacts, and 500 pregnant women
were investigated serologically for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus
type 1 (HIV) and human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) types I and II. Antibodies
to Mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I), and lipoarabinomannan
(LAM) were also analyzed. A low prevalence of HIV-1 infection was observed among
leprosy patients (3.5%), leprosy contacts (0), and pregnant women (3.6%). Antibodies
to HTLV-I but not -II were found more often in leprosy patients (8.7%) and contacts
(12.8%) than in pregnant women (0). Sera from leprosy patients and leprosy contacts
were often false-positive for HIV-1 by ELISA and were indeterminate by Western
blot. LAM IgM and PGL-I IgM antibodies in sera from leprosy patients yielded
significant cross-reactivities with HIV-1 pol and gag proteins. These data suggest
that mycobacterial cell wall antigens may share common epitopes with HIV. Caution
should be exercised when interpreting HIV-1 ELISA and Western blot data from
regions where leprosy or other mycobacterial diseases are endemic.