Clinical, Hematologic, and Immunologic Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Individuals Exposed to Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type-2 (HIV-2)

Abstract

We studied the clinical status and certain hematologic and immunologic parameters in healthy prostitutes from Dakar, Senegal who were seropositive for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type-2 (HIV-2). Generalized lymphadenopathy and clinical signs or symptoms similar to those which are seen with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection were not present. Comparison to seronegative prostitutes and minor surgery control patients were made and significant elevations were seen in T8 lymphocytes (p = .03), IgG (p = .0001), and beta 2-microglobulin (p = .03). The mean T4 lymphocyte count in seropositive prostitutes was lower than in seronegative prostitutes (757 vs. 1179, p = .15), but this difference was not statistically significant and appeared to be correlated with age. No significant differences were noted between the seronegative and seropositive prostitutes in lymphocyte stimulation studies to certain mitogens. Antilymphocyte antibodies above background were not present in either population. We conclude that HIV-2 is a sexually transmitted agent that produces immunologic alterations consistent with a persistent viral infection. HIV-2 seropositive prostitutes studied to date do not show clinical signs of immune suppression, as has been described with HIV-1 infection. The pathogenic potential of HIV-2 appears to differ from that of HIV-1, the etiologic agent of the AIDS pandemic.

Baseline characteristics, response to and outcome of antiretroviral therapy among patients with HIV-1, HIV-2 and dual infection in Burkina Faso

“…This would require specific investigations and studies. Second, HIV-1-infected individuals tended to initiate ART at a much earlier age than those with HIV-2 or dual infection, a finding probably explained by the slower progression of disease with HIV-2, [3][4][5][6]8 and an HIV-2 protective effect conferred in dual infection. 23 The fact that median baseline CD4 counts were higher for HIV-2 and dual infection than HIV-1 is further evidence that HIV-2 and dual infection are associated with slower progression and probably lower virulence.…”

“…HIV-1 is more easily trans-mitted, and consequently accounts for the vast majority of global HIV infections; the less transmissible HIV-2 is largely confined to West Africa, where it is thought to have originated. 1,2 As HIV-2 is less pathogenic than HIV-1, HIV-2-infected individuals appear to have a much longer asymptomatic stage, slower progression to AIDS, [3][4][5][6] slower decline in CD4 count 3,7,8 and lower mortality 5,9-11 than patients with HIV-1. Serological reactivity to both HIV-1 and HIV-2 (HIV-1/2) exists, and some evidence suggests that this serological profile has increased over the past decade in areas previously endemic for HIV-2.…”

Immunological responses of Gambians in relation to clinical stage of HIV-2 disease

“…There is a growing body of evidence which suggests HIV-2 is less virulent than HIV-1 [17,24], However, at the moment there is no consistent and convincing evidence that there are marked differences in the degree of immune damage caused by the two infections either in the asymptomatic [12,13] or symptomatic stage of disease [13,17], Ultimately a larger immunological study, ideally involving incident cases of HIV-1 and HIV-2, will be necessary if the real differences in the effects of the two infections on the immune system are to be discerned.…”

Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans

“…Symptomatic patients usually have been described as having chronic diarrhoea, weight loss, lymphadenopathy and tuberculosis. However, HIV -2-infected persons can have the same immunological and c1inical spectrum of disease as HIV-l (Clavel et aL., 1987;Marlink et aL., 1988;Nauclér et aL., 1989;Odehouri et aL., 1989). Sexual and motherchild transmission seem to be less efficient (Matheron et aL., 1990;Markowitz, 1993;Kanki et aL., 1994).…”