Shah C, Boni J, Tomasik Z, Schupbach J; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1992 Jul 19-24; 8: 134 (abstract no. PuB 7511).
Swiss National Center for Retroviruses, Zurich University.
OBJECTIVE: Earlier studies have indicated a high prevalence of indeterminate HTLV WB results in Swiss blood donors (Schupbach et al, Int J Cancer 1988;42:857). The present study investigated whether individuals with antibodies to HTLV gag and/or recombinant env proteins are infected by HTLV-1 or HTLV-2. METHODS: Two HTLV WB-positives and 28 individuals with a previous WB indeterminate result were retested by HTLV-1/-2 WB (Diagnostic Biotechnology, Version 2.2) and by PCR, using primers/probes from the tax region for screening and from pol for type differentiation. The analytical sensitivity of tax and pol PCR was shown to be 1 copy/microgram DNA by Poisson distribution analysis of diluted samples. RESULTS: TABULAR DATA, SEE ABSTRACT VOLUME. CONCLUSION: Sensitivity and specificity of PCR for both HTLV-1 and -2 were 100%. Despite a highly sensitive PCR method, none of the 20 individuals with WB results repeatedly suggestive of HTLV-1 or HTLV-2 infection was PCR-positive. These data suggest that, in Switzerland, individuals with antibodies to natural gag, but not env, protein bands or to recombinant, but not natural, env protein bands are usually not infected by HTLV-1 or HTLV-2. The WB reactions may represent cross-reactive antibodies induced by other agents.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Antibodies
- Blood Donors
- Blotting, Western
- DNA Probes
- Deltaretrovirus Infections
- HTLV-I Infections
- HTLV-II Infections
- Human T-lymphotropic virus 1
- Human T-lymphotropic virus 2
- Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Switzerland
- analysis
Other ID:
UI: 102201288
From Meeting Abstracts