RESUMEN
We investigated 18 sets of blood donors from 12 to 50 months after they donated blood to recipients who subsequently developed the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Within each donor set, only one donor was suspected of having transmitted the disease (ie, member of an AIDS risk group). The other donors (n = 189) were not risk group members and served as controls. A number of laboratory tests distinguished suspected from nonsuspected donors, including determination of T helper/T suppressor cell ratio, antibody to hepatitis B core antigen, and immune complexes, but none of these was as sensitive and specific as tests for antibody to the human retrovirus, HTLV-III/LAV.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/diagnóstico , Donantes de Sangre , Portador Sano/diagnóstico , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/transmisión , Anticuerpos Antivirales/análisis , Anticuerpos contra la Hepatitis B/análisis , Antígenos del Núcleo de la Hepatitis B/análisis , Humanos , Tamizaje Masivo , Retroviridae/inmunología , Linfocitos T Colaboradores-Inductores/inmunología , Linfocitos T Reguladores/inmunología , Reacción a la TransfusiónRESUMEN
Detection of replicating human retroviruses has relied upon rather cumbersome reverse transcriptase, immunofluorescence, or electron microscopic assays. We describe a new sandwich enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) for detecting the human retrovirus, lymphadenopathy-associated virus (LAV), in supernates of LAV-infected human lymphocyte cultures. This LAV capture immunoassay compares favorably with the reverse transcriptase assay, despite the fact that it is performed on 20-fold less supernate material. Because the assay can be performed on 0.1 ml of culture supernate and is done by an ELISA method, LAV inoculation of lymphocyte cultures can be monitored quite conveniently, and endpoint titrations of infectious virus (ID-50 assays) can be performed. We demonstrate the application of the capture assay and ID-50 assay to disinfectant and serum neutralization experiments.