Human immunodeficiency viruses types 1 and 2 infection among replacement blood donors in Mumbai (Bombay).

ABSTRACT

Between 1993-96, blood donated by 12,235 replacement blood donors was screened by various Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays for detecting antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Viruses types 1 and 2 according to the guidelines specified by Indian--Food and Drug Administration. 222 replacement blood donors (1.81%) were found to be seropositive for antibodies to Human Immunodeficiency Virus types 1 and 2. Furthermore, the ImmunoComb II HIV 1 & 2 BiSpot rapid sandwich ELISA in a comb format was used for differentially identifying HIV-1 and/or HIV-2 infection among these blood donors in Mumbai. Our data indicates that there is a low seroprevalence of HIV-1-2 infection among replacement blood donors in Mumbai (Bombay). Among them, while HIV-1 is still the predominant virus, dual HIV-1-2 and HIV-2 only infections are steadily increasing.