Anti-HIV antibodies and other serological and immunological parameters among normal Haitians in Montreal

Article Abstract:

Approximately 50 percent of the first cases of AIDS in Montreal, Canada were in people who immigrated from Haiti. About half of these patients were women, which is unusual, and indicates heterosexual spread of the virus. The major symptoms of AIDS and the microorganisms which caused opportunistic infections differed in the Haitian population compared with other AIDS patients. A study was conducted to determine the normal numbers of T lymphocytes (immune cells) in Haitians and to obtain information on their exposure to HIV and other infectious agents. The subjects were 189 apparently healthy Haitian immigrants living in Montreal who were matched with the same number of non-Haitians (Caucasians) for sex, age (within 5 years), and area of Montreal where they were living in 1983 to 1984. A follow-up study was conducted three years later, in 1986 to 1987, with 41 of the Haitians and 83 of the non-Haitians from the initial study. A greater number of Haitians than non-Haitians had antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii, which often causes opportunistic infections in Haitian AIDS patients. There were also more Haitians who had antibodies to cytomegalovirus and hepatitis B virus, two organisms which commonly cause infection in AIDS patients. This indicates that the Haitians have greater exposure to infectious agents than the non-Haitian group. Four of the Haitians (2.1 percent) and none of the non-Haitians had antibodies to HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus type 1). This rate of HIV infection among Haitians in Montreal is high. The HIV-1-infected Haitians did not have any symptoms of the disease. They had lower values for lymphocyte parameters, (total lymphocytes, helper T lymphocytes, and suppressor/cytotoxic T lymphocytes) than the Haitians who did not have antibodies to HIV, but their values still were in the normal range. At the time of the initial study, 11 of the Haitians and 18 of the controls had at least one abnormal lymphocyte parameter, indicating that at any one time about 10 percent of the normal population can have abnormal lymphocyte parameters. No significant differences in lymphocyte parameters were found between the Haitians and non-Haitians. The existence of a high rate of HIV infection in Haitians is probably due to a higher rate of exposure to the virus and not to greater susceptibility to infection due to abnormalities of the immune system. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Health aspects, Canada, Surveys, Montreal, Quebec, Haitians, Haitians in Canada

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Differences in PCR reactivity between HIV proviruses from individuals in Ethiopia and Sweden

Article Abstract:

The pattern of spread of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is not the same in Africa as it is in Europe and North America. In Africa, approximately 75 percent of the cases of infection have occurred by heterosexual transmission. In Europe and North America, the majority of the cases have occurred in homosexual men and intravenous drug users. Reasons for the differences in the epidemiology of HIV-1 in the two areas of the world are not understood. Theories include differences in: the timing of the epidemic; sexual behavior; exposure to other sexually transmitted diseases; and immune responses to the virus by individuals. However, the strains of virus present in various areas of the world may not be the same and may account for the differences in routes of transmission. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which amplifies nucleic acid to quantities that are needed for analysis, the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from HIV-1-infected white blood cells was analyzed. The white blood cells were obtained from individuals from Ethiopia and Sweden. A larger amount of virus was found in samples from patients with more advanced disease than in samples from patients with earlier-stage disease. The polymerase chain reactions in samples from Ethiopian subjects were much weaker than in those from Sweden, indicating that less virus is present in individuals from Ethiopia. Therefore, the PCR can be used to detect HIV-1 infection in Europe and North America but is not always suitable for detection of HIV-1 infection in Ethiopia. The difference in the levels of HIV infection may be the result of different host responses controlling the ability of the virus to multiply, but is more likely due to genetic characteristics of the strains of HIV-1, allowing for more rapid replication. Further analysis of the differences between the viruses is necessary in order to understand the characteristics which contribute to the epidemiology of HIV infection in various regions of the world. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Analysis, Sweden, HIV (Viruses), HIV, Disease transmission, Ethiopia

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HIV-2 and HIV-1 AIDS cases in Senegal: clinical patterns and immunological perturbations

Article Abstract:

The clinical features of disease, laboratory results of analysis of the blood and immune system factors, and the social characteristics of 39 patients infected with HIV-2 (human immunodeficiency virus type 2) from Dakar, Senegal, Africa were examined and compared with results of similar tests on 48 patients who were infected with HIV-1 and had AIDS or ARC (AIDS-related complex). The social characteristics and geographical origins of the two groups of patients were different. Those infected with HIV-2 were from Senegal and did not have any history of travel to other areas of Africa, while those infected with HIV-1 were mainly foreigners or those from Senegal who had traveled. The risk factors for those infected with HIV-1 were intravenous drug use and homosexuality. The risk factors for patients with HIV-2 were heterosexual contacts, such as with prostitutes, and blood transfusions. For both types of virus, three times as many men were infected as women. A correlation was seen between detectable abnormalities of the immune system and the clinical state of both diseases. The clinical symptoms of both diseases were the same. No detectable manifestation was seen which was unique to HIV-2 infection. Therefore, infection with HIV-2, as well as infection with HIV-1, may constitute a part of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Statistics, Africa, Medical geography

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