CHARACTERIZATION OF DUAL HIV-1 AND HIV-2 SEROLOGICAL PROFILES BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of dual HIV-1 and HIV-2 DNA sequences in patients with dual serological profiles. Design: We tested 40 samples from AIDS patients living in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Methods: Dual serological reactivity was determined by double Western blot and two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays with recombinant proteins and synthetic peptides as antigens. The Western blot was considered to show dual reactivity when sera reacted with at least two glycoproteins and one core protein of each virus. HIV DNA sequences were detected by hybridization to radiolabelled probes of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products amplified using specific primers. Results: Both HIV-1 and HIV-2 DNA sequences were detected in four out of 11 samples with a dual serological profile and in four out of 24 samples with anti-HIV-1 antibodies only. Conclusion: These results show that dual HIV-1 and HIV-2 serological profiles are not always due to infection by both viruses, and emphasize the need for a combination of serological and PCR assays for the appraisal of these viral infections.