[65] HIV-2 MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION RISK ASSESSED BY REAL TIME DNA PCR TECHNOLOGY

2nd International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment

Paris, France - July 13 - 16, 2003

[TITLE:] HIV-2 MOTHER-TO-CHILD TRANSMISSION RISK ASSESSED BY REAL TIME DNA PCR TECHNOLOGY

[AUTHOR(S):] M Burgard¹, S Blanche¹, MJ Mayaux², C Allisy³, N Ciraru⁴, G Firtion⁵, JM Retbi⁶ and C Rouzioux¹ for the the ANRS Paediatric Cohort Study Group
¹CHU Necker, Paris, France; ²CHU du Kremlin-Bicêtre, France; ³Hôpital d'Argenteuil, France; ⁴CHU Lariboisière, France; ⁵CHU Port-Royal, Paris, France; and ⁶Hôpital de St-Denis, France

IAS Conf HIV Pathog Treat 2003 Jul 13-16;2nd: Abstract No. 65
Antiviral Therapy 2003; 8(Suppl. 1):S

[ABSTRACT:] Objective: To estimate the risk of HIV-2 mother-to child transmission. The diagnosis of HIV-2 infection in neonates was performed using an HIV-2 DNA real time PCR.

Patients: Since 1988, 204 neonates have been born in France to HIV-2 seropositive mothers and were included in the French prospective cohort study. Mothers were of African origin [mainly Côte d'Ivoire (45%), Guinea, Mali and Senegal]. At least one blood sample taken between 1 and 9 months of age was available. For 76 HIV-2 mothers, frozen PBMC could be also tested.

Methods: The real time DNA PCR based on Taqman technology was performed in the HIV-2 LTR gene, on extracted DNA from PBMC. The diagnosis of HIV-2 infection in neonates, performed by real time DNA PCR, started in 2000 (57 neonates), previously it was done by using DNA PCR with Southern Blot, and/or by viral culture (147 neonates). HIV-2 serology was performed at the age of 15 months.

Results: HIV-2 real time PCR sensitivity was 96% (73 positive mother samples out of 76); the median cycle threshold was 35 indicating low level of HIV-2 DNA. The median efficiency of real time PCR was high: 86% (range 75-99%). The 159 samples of the 57 children tested by real time HIV-2 PCR were all negative. 612 samples of 146 children born before 2000 were negative by PCR and/or viral culture. Only one infant has been infected (four positive samples later confirmed by a positive HIV-2 serology); his mother acquired HIV-2 primary infection during pregnancy.

Conclusions: HIV-2 rate of transmission was 0.5% (1/204; 95%CI:0-1.5%). Real time PCR is an easy and convenient method for HIV-2 diagnosis in neonates.

030714