ABSTRACT
We have made a follow-up study of 65 children born to HIV seropositive mothers. These children were studied during the first quarter of life and subsequently every three months thereafter to measure the usefulness of the Western Blot technique in the detection of the gradual development of seroreversion, as well as in HIV infection. The study of 25 mother-child pairs allowed us to anticipate seroreversion up to three months, showing an earlier and quicker finding than by indirect immunofluorescence. In the HIV diagnosis during the first 15 months of life, the sequential study of serum by Western Blot is able to detect the reappearance of new bands, indicating the endogenous production of antibodies in the child. The circunstance is observed in 7 out of 10 infected children, showing the reappearance of bands corresponding to antibodies against p-31 and/or p-55 proteins between the second and fourth quarter of life.
