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participating institutions:
Johns Hopkins University AIDS Service, New York State DOH AIDS Institute, The CORE Center, Cook County Hospital



NEWS AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS



Plasma Viral Load in HIV-1 and HIV-2 Singly and Dually Infected Individuals in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa [Andersson S, et al. Arch Intern Med 2000;160:3286]: HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections are quite different in terms of natural history, efficiency of transmission and epidemiology. Specifically, HIV-2 shows a slower rate of progression, is less easily transmitted, and has been restricted epidemiologically mainly to West Africa. A potential explanation for these differences is the possibility that the viral load, which correlates well with transmission rates and rapid progression, may be lower in those with HIV-2 infections. A comparative analysis has been hampered by the lack of a test to quantify HIV-2. The present study uses an experimental HIV-2 assay based on the principals employed with the standard HIV-1 quantitative assay. The study was done in a cohort in Guinea-Bissau with 19 HIV-1 and 29 HIV-2-infected patients tested at a median of <2 years after seroconversion to determine the "setpoint." The median viral load for HIV-2 was 2,500 c/mL compared to 70,000 c/mL for HIV-1. This difference persisted to symptomatic stages of the disease.
posted 1/18/2001





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