Synthetic env gp41 peptide as a sensitive and specific diagnostic reagent in different stages of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection |
| |
Authors: | Ale N rv nen,Mirja Korkolainen,Jukka Suni,Jukka Korpela,Sari Kontio,Paul Partanen,Antti Vaheri,Marja-Liisa Huhtala |
| |
Affiliation: | Labsystems Research Laboratories, Helsinki, Finland. |
| |
Abstract: | An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for serum antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), based on the synthetic pentadecapeptide SGKLICT-TAVPWNAS, a segment of the transmembrane glycoprotein (gp41) of the virus, was developed and tested for sensitivity and specificity. Sera of 152 individuals at various stages of HIV-1 infection, including two prospectively and six retrospectively studied patients exposed to HIV-1 but seronegative on initial testing in whole-virus EIA and immunoblotting, were screened with the gp41 peptide antibody EIA. The reference population consisted of 1,000 healthy HIV-1 antibody-negative blood donors. In addition, five individuals with antibodies to HIV-2 were studied. Antibodies to the synthetic peptide were detected in 100% of those with asymptomatic infection. Only one patient with LAS failed to react in the peptide EIA. Patients with HIV-2 infection did not react in this test. The peptide antibodies appeared rapidly after infection, were detectable at the time when seroconversion was observed by immunoblotting, and preceded reactivity in whole-virus EIA. Sera of seven patients with verified HIV-1 infection did not react with gp41 in immunoblotting, although antibodies were readily detectable in the gp41 peptide EIA. |
| |
Keywords: | AIDS antibody diagnosis HIV synthetic peptide |
|
|