RESUMO
The seroprevalence of HIV-2 was evaluated in 20,407 consecutive normal blood donors, 100 homo- and/or bisexuals, and 7,020 heterosexuals presenting for an HIV test using an EIA test. Sixty-seven sera were revealed to be repeatedly positive. Analysis by Western blot confirmed the infection in four cases, an indeterminate (antibodies against only the gag-encoded proteins) pattern was revealed in 25 cases, whereas 38 sera were negative. Three of the four HIV-2-positive sera also reacted with two distinct, but close, synthetic peptides homologous to viral gp36. The fourth serum, which did not display antibodies against gp36 on Western blot, did not react with gp36-derived synthetic peptides. None of these sera reacted with native HIV-1 antigens or synthetic peptides homologous to gp41. Sera with an indeterminate HIV-2 Western blot did not react with gp36-derived synthetic peptides. Although 10 of them also displayed an indeterminate HIV-1 Western blot, no serum sample reacted with two gp41-derived synthetic peptides or proved to be positive when they tested for p24 antigen. One bisexual and one heterosexual HIV-2 positive subject reported sexual contacts with West Africans, whereas two other heterosexuals had had multiple sexual partners from different countries.
