Human T-cell leukemia virus type II infection among high risk groups and its influence on HIV-1 disease progression

The prevalence and the risk factors of the human T-cell leukemia virus type I/II (HTLV-I/II) infection were evaluated among 552 individuals at high risk for HIV-1. HTLV infections showed a low (1.6%) prevalence, were restricted to intravenous drug addicts and were due to HTLV-II alone. Moreover, in order to weigh the influence of HTLV-II on the natural history of HIV-1 infection, the clinical outcome of HIV-1 disease was compared between subjects with and without HTLV-II coinfection. Our findings showed that HTLV-II does not adversely affect the outcome of HIV-1 infection. Infact, a slower disease progression has been recorded in some HTLV-II coinfected subjects.     

HIV-1急性感染

HIV-1是目前AIDS流行的主要病原体.疑诊HIV-1急性感染,用定量HIV-1 RNA或p24抗原检测可缩短诊断时间.一旦确诊,应考虑早期采用以免疫为基础的联合治疗.     

Selective pressures of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) during pediatric infection

Pediatric HIV-1 infection presents remarkable features that are distinct from those observed in adult infection. In vertically HIV-1-infected children, the viral load declines more slowly, and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response emerges late, only after the sixth month of life. This response generally tends to be narrow and less intense than that seen in adults. While the nuances of immune response at the cellular level during pediatric HIV-1 infection have been addressed, there is a lack of studies focusing on the consequences of this delayed and narrowed immune response at the population level. To better explore these features, we evaluated the selection regimen in gag, pol and env gene fragments of HIV-1 during pediatric infection. We estimated the number of nonsynonymous substitutions (d(N)) and synonymous substitutions (d(S)) codon-by-codon, using the maximum likelihood method and a modified counting method. Notably, both methods indicated a similar intensity of selection (measure by mean d(N)/d(S) ratio) between children and adults. Additionally, sites under positive selection were equally distributed along HIV genes and the location of these sites was analogous between children and adults. Therefore, the selective regimen in HIV during pediatric infection is equally broad and intense likewise the observed in adults. Unexpectedly, our phylogenetic-based analysis enabled us to identify two regions in the env gene of HIV with distinct adaptive functions. The first region, located in the vicinity of V3 loop, contains sites that might increase viral fitness within-host during antibody attack and virus-cell interaction. The second region, restricted to amino acids 334-368 of Gp160, contains sites that might increase viral fitness during interhost transmission at the population level.     

Epidemiology of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection

Markers of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection have been detected all over the five continents. Geographical prevalence varied heavily: HDV infection is very rare in Far East Asia, but extremely frequent in Arabian countries, in Romania and in certain Indian populations of South America. In Europe and in the USA the infection is widely spread among high risk groups such as intravenous drug abusers and haemophiliacs,I Corresponding author.     

人免疫缺陷病毒1型潜伏感染激活剂研究现状

高效抗逆转录病毒治疗(HAART)对控制HIV-1进展效果显著,但病毒潜伏库的存在导致病毒无法完全清除.HIV-1感染后,潜伏库建立早,半衰期长,长期处于静息状态,是根治HIV-1感染的主要障碍之一.目前清除病毒潜伏库的方法有潜伏感染激活剂、免疫治疗和基因治疗等.此文主要讨论了HIV-1潜伏感染激活剂相关内容.     

Absence of antibodies to human herpesvirus-6 in patients with slowly-progressive human immunodeficiency virus type I infection

To evaluate a possible role for Human Herpesvirus-type 6 (HHV-6) coinfection as a co-factor in the progression of HIV-1 disease, we investigated the prevalence of seropositivity for HHV-6 in a cohort of HIV-1 infected patients. These patients were retrospectively divided into two groups according to the decline of CD4+ T cells during the follow up: 11 were classified as rapid decliners (< 400 CD4+/cmm within 1 year), and 38 as slow decliners (> 400 CD4+/cmm after at least 4 years' follow up). HHV-6 antibodies were detected by a commercial immunofluorescence assay and by a Western blotting assay developed in our laboratory. Our results show that Western blot appears to provide results satisfactorily free of false positivities. We found that the frequency of HHV-6 seropositivity was significantly lower in the group of slow decliners, compared both to rapid decliners and to the general population. These data suggest a role for HHV-6 co-infection in the progression of HIV-1 disease.     

HIV-1B′亚型毒株新型耐药相关突变位点的筛选

目的 筛选HIV-1 B′亚型病毒株中可能存在的新型耐药相关突变位点.方法 收集整理前期研究获得的451条HIV-1B′亚型pol区基因序列,序列含蛋白酶全长(1～99个密码子)和反转录酶全长(1～560个密码子),长度约1977 bp.将354条来自接受抗病毒治疗艾滋病患者的(服药组)序列与97条来自未接受治疗患者的(未服药组)序列,分别与B亚型野生型pol基因共享序列进行逐个密码子比对,筛选在服药组序列中出现的频率显著高于未服药组序列的突变位点,将筛选出来的突变位点在斯坦福大学HIV-1耐药数据库中检索,根据数据库收录的情况及解释,初步分析突变与耐药的关系.结果 在服药组序列中反转录酶区有6个位点7个突变的频率显著高于未服药组,分别是D123E、V292I、K366R、T369A、T369V、A371V和1375V,即前2个突变位于反转录酶的聚合酶区、后5个突变位于反转录酶的连接区.检索数据库收录情况,有7个突变均为相应位点的主要变异形式,在服药患者中出现的频率显著高于未服药患者.结论 筛选出的HIV-1 B′亚型病毒株7个突变可能与耐药有关.     

HIV-1B′亚型毒株新型耐药相关突变位点的筛选

目的 筛选HIV-1 B′亚型病毒株中可能存在的新型耐药相关突变位点.方法 收集整理前期研究获得的451条HIV-1B′亚型pol区基因序列,序列含蛋白酶全长(1～99个密码子)和反转录酶全长(1～560个密码子),长度约1977 bp.将354条来自接受抗病毒治疗艾滋病患者的(服药组)序列与97条来自未接受治疗患者的(未服药组)序列,分别与B亚型野生型pol基因共享序列进行逐个密码子比对,筛选在服药组序列中出现的频率显著高于未服药组序列的突变位点,将筛选出来的突变位点在斯坦福大学HIV-1耐药数据库中检索,根据数据库收录的情况及解释,初步分析突变与耐药的关系.结果 在服药组序列中反转录酶区有6个位点7个突变的频率显著高于未服药组,分别是D123E、V292I、K366R、T369A、T369V、A371V和1375V,即前2个突变位于反转录酶的聚合酶区、后5个突变位于反转录酶的连接区.检索数据库收录情况,有7个突变均为相应位点的主要变异形式,在服药患者中出现的频率显著高于未服药患者.结论 筛选出的HIV-1 B′亚型病毒株7个突变可能与耐药有关.     

Epidemiology of severe varicella-zoster virus infection in Spain

Data of hospitalizations for varicella and herpes zoster in Spain during the 1999-2000 period were obtained from the national surveillance system for hospital data. A total of 3083 hospitalizations for varicella and 6324 for herpes zoster were identified, representing an annual incidence of 4.1 and 8.4 per 100,000 persons per year, respectively. Almost half of patients hospitalized for varicella were children under 5 years of age. In contrast, 78% of hospitalizations for zoster occurred in adults >50 years of age. Hospitalizations for varicella and herpes zoster resulted annually in 11,141 and 40,090 days of hospitalization and a cost of 3.2 and 7.0 million, respectively.     

Sex ratio of human T-lymphotropic virus type I infection and blood transfusion

The prevalence of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) infection is higher for females than for males. Blood transfusion is a potential confounding factor which might contribute to this high female:male ratio. Two studies were performed in Martinique (French West Indies) to clarify this issue: a case-control survey comparing the experience of previous blood transfusion among 62 HTLV-I-seropositive and 88 HTLV-I-seronegative blood donors, and a retrospective study of the sex of recipients of blood. Blood transfusion was strongly associated with HTLV-I infection (odds ratio = 6.4, p less than 0.001). Females were more often given blood transfusions (57.9 percent, p less than 0.001) and received a higher percentage of blood units (53.5 percent, p less than 0.05) than could be expected from their proportion in the general population (51.6 percent). Thus, the high female:male sex ratio of HTLV-I-infected subjects might be due partially to a sex difference for blood transfusion.     

Detection of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type I by using synthetic peptides and time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA)

A simple, rapid, reproducible and sensitive peptide-Time-Resolved-Fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) method is described which allows the detection of antibodies to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1). By using a panel of synthetic peptide antigens that covered env, gag and pol amino acid sequences, a 20 amino acid peptide (GIWGCSGKLICTTAVPWNAS) describing an immunodominant and conserved domain on the gp41 region of the BH10 clone was found to be the most reactive in this study. Optimal conditions for antigen concentration, serum dilution and incubation time were established. The peptide-TR-FIA is specific, as assessed by testing HIV-1 positive sera which included samples from AIDS, ARC patients and HIV-positive drug users. The test was used to detect HIV antibodies in 250 well characterized HIV-1 positive sera and 50 normal sera. Peptide-TR-FIA results indicate that the env peptide was highly reactive with HIV-positive sera showing a sensitivity of 100%. None of the 50 control sera showed positive reactivity against the synthetic peptide.Furthermore the peptide-TR-FIA allowed a fine titration of antibodies to defined epitopes of immunodominant HIV structural proteins that usually cannot be achieved by peptide-ELISA assays.     

Epidemiology and clinical significance of Blastocystis hominis in different population groups in Salamanca (Spain)

A prospective study was carried out to investigate the epidemiology and clinical significance of Blastocystis hominis in the following groups of the population of the city of Salamanca (Spain): in children attending 11 day car centres and 7 primary schools, two fecal samples were obtained from each child, and in 1231 patients attending the Clinical Hospital. A B. hominis incidence of 5.3–10.3% was found in the day care centres and an incidence rate of 13.4–19.4% was found in the primary schools. All the cases were observed in asymptomatic children. The incidence of B. hominis was greater in children older than 3 years in the day care centres and in the 10–14 year-old group in the primary schools. A heavier parasitization was observed in the boys than in the girls and in the students of schoold in areas of low socio-economic level. B. hominis was identified in 40 patients attending the Clinical Hospital (3.25% of all those studied). The maximum peak of incidence was found in subjects with ages between 10 and 14 years. A follow up study was performed on 18 patients parasitized exclusively by B. hominis; 7 of these were considered to have acute gastroenteritis and one chronic gastroenteritis associated with the protozoan. No statistically significant association was observed between the number of B. hominis cells and the presence of diarrhoea. Our results show that despite the high number of asymptomatic carriers of B. hominis in the juvenile population, this protozoan may be, on other occasions, responsible for gastrointestinal symptoms.Corresponding author.     

HIV-1, HIV-2, HTLV-I/II and STD among female prostitutes in Buenos Aires, Argentina

To determine the prevalence of HIV-1 and HTLV-I/II among female prostitutes from different areas of the city of Buenos Aires, we studied serum samples from 237 individuals (mean age: 25; range 17 to 39). Prostitutes were recruited from 16 different Buenos Aires locations with different economical status. Information on sexual behavior, health and socioeconomic conditions was collected through a questionnaire. HIV-1 and HTLV-I/II antibodies (ab) were tested by ELISA (Abbott) and Particle agglutination (Fujirebio, Tokyo) respectively. Positive results were confirmed by immunofluorescence assay. Samples that were positive for HIV-1 antibodies were also tested for p24 antigen (Abbott). VDRL for syphilis was performed in all samples. Fifteen (6.3%) out of the 237 individuals were positive for HIV-1 antibodies. Moreover, 2 (0.8%) HIV-1 seropositive prostitutes were also positive for HTLV-I/II antibodies and for HIV p24-Ag. Eventhough PCR for HTLV-I/II was not performed, titration by IFA in these two samples suggests HTLV-I. Our serologic results indicate a relatively high HIV-1 infection among prostitutes working in Buenos Aires. As we previously mentioned for other risk groups, we found an association between HTLV-I/III and HIV-1 infection in this particular group. Although we did not find any significant difference between HIV-1 seropositivity and the variables analyzed through the questionnaire, the prevalence of HIV-1 infection was higher in prostitutes working in mask brothels (sauna or massage houses) as compared with hotel or street prostitutes.     

甲型H1N1流感流行病学研究进展

甲型H1N1流感的预防控制经历了外堵策略(containment strategy),已经转入内防阶段(mitigation phase).新的甲型H1N1流感病毒毒株引发的流感大流行还在全球蔓延,防控工作充满着新的挑战.本文对甲型H1N1流感流行病学相关文献进行综述,旨在为我国各地对该病的预防控制提供帮助.     

西安市男男性行为人群感染HIV-1的分子流行病学研究

目的 了解西安市MSM感染HIV-1毒株亚型分布。方法 采集2010--2012年西安市确证的经男男同性传播的HIV感染者外周静脉血5ml,抗凝后分离血浆,提取总RNA,利用巢式反转录PCR扩增HIulgag和env基因,利用Mega5.2软件与国际参考序列进行拼接、比对、计算基因离散率和构建系统进化树;同时进行流行病学问卷调查,行为学调查重点包括性行为特征、吸毒史、献血史等。结果 168份样本中,165例gag与env序列分型结果 一致,分别为79例(47.0%)CRF01AE、74例(44.o%)CRF07BC、12例(7.1%)B亚型。3例gag与env序列分型结果不一致,分别为2例(1.2%)CRF01AE/A1、1例(0.6%)CRF07BC/CRF01AE。结论 西安市MSM感染HIV-1毒株亚型主要为CRF01AE、CRF07BC。     

Seroepidemiological correlations of antibodies to human herpesviruses and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in African patients

A seroepidemiological evaluation of the humoral immune response against human herpes viruses was carried out in patients with and without HIV infection in Tanzania to study the role of these viruses as a cofactor in AIDS. Serum specimens were obtained from 321 outpatients and 100 healthy schoolchildren of a rural population in the Kagera Region, Tanzania, and from 149 inpatients of an urban population in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The data were analysed by logistic models taking into account demographic variables. The data obtained revealed no differences in the prevalence of antibodies to human herpes viruses between the different groups. Therefore, our study under the present conditions and the observed stages of AIDS does not suggest an influence of HIV infection on human herpesvirus infection or serologic response.Corresponding author.