A sero-epidemiological surveillance study to monitor the prevalence of HIV-1 infection in Johannesburg, South Africa, was commenced in February 1988. The population selected for study were attenders at clinics for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and at family planning (FP) clinics. In the 12 months of the study 6631 sera were tested. Of the STD attenders, 15 of 1224 black females (1.2%) and 21 of 2482 black males (0.8%) were positive. Of the 449 white males tested 49 were homosexual, amongst whom 10 (20.4%) were positive; in the heterosexual white male group 4 of 400 (1.0%) were positive. Of the FP clinic attenders, 4 of 1459 black females (0.3%) were positive. 68 of the 6631 sera tested were indeterminate for infection. No attenders were positive for HIV-2 infection. These data confirmed the entry of HIV infection into the black population in South Africa.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗

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The current epidemiology of hepatitis A infection in South Africa: implications for vaccination.

Testing stored sera from various categories of individuals has shown that among the Black population hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is universal and most adult Black subjects are immune. Infection probably occurs early in life, consistent with the epidemiological pattern seen in the developing world. By contrast, seroprevalence of HAV infection in adult White subjects increases with age, reflecting an epidemiological pattern seen in the developed world. White subjects working in a virological laboratory and White medical students had comparatively low seroprevalences of HAV infection and could therefore represent groups at risk. Hepatitis A vaccine is likely to be available in South Africa in the near future and could be offered to these groups. Pre-vaccination immunity screening would be a cost-effective strategy.

Adolescent↗

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An analysis of indeterminate western blot patterns of black African subjects.

The significance of indeterminate Western blotting results was assessed by determining their distribution in attenders of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and family planning (FP) clinics. As expected, it was found that the former had a highly significantly greater prevalence of HIV infection. Indeterminate results were not found more frequently in STD attenders refuting any association with sexual promiscuity. They were, however, found significantly more frequently amongst black compared to white subjects, but no difference was found between males and females. Indeterminate results appear to be a feature of black African sera and what the significance is, still remains to be elucidated.

Black People↗

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Interleukin-4 regulation of cytokine-induced HIV1 and interleukin-8 expression in promonocytic U1 cells is concentration- and cytokine-dependent.

IL4 has been shown to differentially modulate HIV1 replication in primary cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Its effects on chronic HIV1 infection, however, are unknown. To address IL4-mediated effects on promonocytic cells chronically infected with HIV1, U1 cells were incubated in the presence or absence of IL4 together with cytokines that are known to induce both HIV1 and IL8 expression. IL4 enhanced IL1 beta-induced HIV1 and IL8 expression in promonocytic U1 cells, whereas it suppressed their expression induced by cytokines IL6, GM-CSF and to a small extent, TNF alpha. IL4 suppressed IFN gamma-induced IL8 production with increasing IL4 concentration, while HIV1 p24 core antigen production was suppressed at low IL4 input (0.1 and 1 U/ml) but was substantially enhanced at a high IL4 input concentration (10 U/ml). Results showed that the immunosuppressive cytokine IL4 can behave variably in modulating HIV1 and IL8 expression, depending on both the inducing cytokine and the input concentration of IL4.

Cytokines↗

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Vitamin regimens in PN.

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Parenteral Nutrition↗

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Support group participation, HIV viral load and sexual-risk behavior.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of participation in community-based support groups and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load on sexual behavior among gay men. METHODS: Using self-administered questionnaires, 46 seropositive support-group participants and 20 seropositive comparison subjects were asked about viral load and frequency of unprotected anal intercourse in 1996 and 1997 following the XI International Conference on AIDS. RESULTS: Support group participants reported less unprotected receptive anal sex at follow-up than did comparison subjects. Overall, study participants with undetectable viral loads reported more unprotected anal intercourse at follow-up than did participants with detectable viral loads. CONCLUSION: Among HIV-seropositive gay men, knowledge of an undetectable viral load may contribute to high-risk sexual-risk behavior.

Adult↗

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Cytokine-induced interleukin-8 production is depressed in chronic as opposed to acute human immunodeficiency virus 1 infection of promonocytic cells.

Spontaneous secretion of interleukin 8 (IL-8) was higher in latently infected U1 cells than in acutely infected or uninfected parental U937 cells. However, the induction of IL-8 by various cytokines (IL-1 alpha, TNF-alpha, IL-6, TNF-beta, GM-CSF, IFN-gamma) was significantly reduced in U1 cells. Cytokine modulation of IL-8 production in U937 cells acutely infected with a T cell-tropic strain (IIIB) or monocytotropic strain (ADA) of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) (HIV-1IIIB and HIV-1ADA) was variable and showed strain-specific differences. The obtained results showed that the in vitro induction of IL-8 is impaired in promonocytic cells latently infected with HIV-1 and is differently modulated under acute conditions of infection depending on the IL-8 inducing cytokine and on the infecting virus strain.

Cell Line↗