Human immunodeficiency virus neutralizing antibodies in sera from North Americans and Africans

Article Abstract:

Virtually all the major advances against viral disease have been in the form of vaccines. In some cases, such as smallpox, the vaccine has been sufficient to eliminate the disease. In other diseases, such as influenza, the virus changes at a slow rate, so that after several years the immunity provided by vaccination is no longer effective against newly emerging strains. However, in the case of the AIDS virus, the variability of the virus is enormous. There is some concern that if a vaccine were developed, it would only be effective against a minor fraction of the variety of AIDS viruses already in existence. The variability of HIV has been determined by using laboratory methods. To determine how important this variability is in terms of recognition by the human immune system, it is helpful to see how human antibodies react to different virus isolates. For this purpose, antibodies from patients in the United States, Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Zaire were tested on four different AIDS virus isolates, two from the US, one from Haiti, and one from Zaire. While the routine testing of sera examines the total antibody titer against the virus, this study focused on neutralizing antibodies, since these are all that are of concern for an effective vaccine. It is quite possible, of course, for antibodies to react with HIV without being able to neutralize it. One virus isolate from the US was neutralized by 95 percent of the sera tested, and the levels of neutralizing antibodies were higher against this virus than any other. Overall, the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies ranged from 95 percent to 60 percent for the Haitian isolate. While not all patients' sera reacted with all viruses, neutralizing antibodies could be found in all sera from the countries tested. This suggests that although there is tremendous variability among different isolates of HIV, there must be at least some common features, features which are adequate to elicit a neutralizing immune response. The identification of these features may identify the best targets for effective immunization against the AIDS virus. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Prevention, Drug therapy, HIV (Viruses), HIV, AIDS (Disease), Viral antibodies, Antibodies, Sexually transmitted disease vaccines

---

Early diagnosis of perinatal HIV infection by detection of viral-specific IgA antibodies

Article Abstract:

The incidence of HIV infection in women of child bearing age is rapidly increasing, as is the incidence of infection in newborns. It is estimated that one million children worldwide were infected with HIV perinatally in 1990. Not all children born to HIV-infected mothers become infected with the virus. Unfortunately, it is difficult to diagnose which newborns are actually infected with HIV because maternal antibodies to HIV of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) type can cross the placenta and may persist in an uninfected infant for up to 15 months. The most widely used HIV test looks for these types of antibodies. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) type antibodies do not cross the placenta. This study evaluated using an HIV test that detects IgA antibodies for diagnosing HIV infection in infants born to infected mothers. Blood samples (539), taken from 278 children born to HIV-infected mothers and 42 children born to non-infected mothers, were tested for the presence of IgA antibodies specific for HIV. The samples were taken at various times following birth for up to 15 months. Results were compared with those of the traditional HIV test. A total of 334 samples from 243 children eventually diagnosed as uninfected were tested for IgA antibodies specific for HIV. All but one sample tested negative. Of 168 samples taken from 47 children aged three months or older and eventually diagnosed as HIV-infected, 164 tested positive for IgA antibodies. Only one of six blood samples taken from HIV-infected children younger than one month of age tested positive for the IgA antibody. These results indicate that the IgA antibody test for HIV is highly accurate for detecting HIV-infection in infants born to infected mothers once the infant has reached three months of age. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Diagnosis, Testing, HIV infection, HIV infections, HIV infection in children, Pediatric HIV infections, HIV patients, Immunoglobulin A, HIV antibodies

---

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: Impact of the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic on mortality in women of reproductive age, United States. part 2
• Abstracts: Porphyria cutanea tarda in human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive men: case report and literature review. Low-dose multidrug chemotherapy plus Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia prophylaxis for HIV-related Kaposi's sarcoma

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.