AEGiS-11IAC: HIV-specific IgA antibodies in vertically exposed babies.

11th International AIDS Conference


Vancouver, British Columbia — July 7-12, 1996

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HIV-specific IgA antibodies in vertically exposed babies.

Int Conf AIDS 1996 Jul 7-12; 11:59 (abstract no. We.A.3012)
Li X, Major C, Blake MS, Murray K, Gomez P, McNeil P, Bain RM, Strunc GV, Read S; Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. Fax: 416-813-5032.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate HIV-specific IgA antibodies as a diagnostic marker for vertical HIV infection in babies.

STUDY DESIGN: A modified IgA antibody-capture enzyme -linked immunoabsorbent assay was used to detect HIV-specific IgA antibodies in serial plasma samples collected from 65 infants born to HIV-infected mothers in the Bahamas and in Toronto.

RESULTS: HIV-specific IgA antibodies were detected in 80 out of 85 plasma specimens (94%) from 21 HIV-infected babies. All HIV-infected babies surving beyond 8 months of age developed HIV-IgA antibodies. However the 71 specimens collected during the first 3 months from 44 HIV-negative infants were also HIV-IgA positive (100%). Starting from four months of age, the number of samples in this group testing negative for HIV-IgA increased. All samples collected from these babies after eight months of age were negative for HIV-IgA. There is a significant correlation (r=0.93; p is less than 0.005) between decline of HIV-IgA antibodies (expressed as a OD/CO ratio) and the babies' age. The predictive value of a positive result or a negative result after 8 months of age is 100%. The specificity of this assay when evaluated for babies born to seronegative women is 100%.

CONCLUSION: These studies present evidence for transplacental HIV-specific IgA antibodies in babies of HIV-infected mothers. Loss of these antibodies in 100% of uninfected babies after 8 months of age and its continued presence in infected babies makes this test useful in the diagnosis of HIV infection in areas where other serological tests are not reliable.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Antibodies, Immunoglobulin A, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, AIDS Serodiagnosis, Sensitivity and Specificity, Blotting, Western, Immunoenzyme Techniques, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Immunoblotting, Laboratory Techniques and Procedures, Bahamas, Infant, Human, Female, ICA11

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WeA3012

Copyright © 1996 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.