Kenneth E. Robbins

Rush University Medical Center

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Marcia L. Kalish

Vanderbilt University

Thomas M. Folks

National Center for Infectious Diseases

Teresa M. Brown

Tufts Medical Center

Danuta Pieniążek

Karolinska Institutet

J Swanson

University of Minnesota System

Michael L. Kalish

Syracuse University

Clement Zeh

Center for Global Health

O Barrera

National Institutes of Health

Michael Koomey

University of Oslo

Feng Gao

Duke University

Cooperative Institutions

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Infectious Diseases

National Institutes of Health

National Center for HIV/AIDS Viral Hepatitis STD and TB Prevention

United States Department of Health and Human Services

Center for Global Health

Johns Hopkins University

University of Oxford

University of Washington

Inserm

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Recombinant Viruses and Early Global HIV-1 Epidemic

Emerging infectious diseases (2004)

Marcia L. Kalish Kenneth E. Robbins Danuta Pieniążek Amanda M. Schaefer Nzila Nzilambi

Central Africa was the epicenter of the HIV type 1 (HIV-1) pandemic. Understanding the early epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, could provide insight into how HIV evolved and assist vaccine design and intervention efforts. Using enzyme immunosorbent assays, we tested 3,988 serum samples collected in Kinshasa in the mid-1980s and confirmed seroreactivity by Western blot. Polymerase chain reaction of gag p17, env C2V3C3, and/or gp41; DNA sequencing; and genetic analyses were performed. Gene regions representing all the HIV-1 group M clades and unclassifiable sequences were found. From two or three short gene regions, 37% of the strains represented recombinant viruses, multiple infections, or both, which suggests that if whole genome sequences were available, most of these strains would have mosaic genomes. We propose that the HIV epidemic was well established in central Africa by the early 1980s and that some recombinant viruses most likely seeded the early global epidemic.

Group-specific antigen

10.3201/eid1007.030904

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Citations (91)

Molecular Analysis in Support of an Investigation of a Cluster of HIV-1-Infected Women

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses (2002)

Kenneth E. Robbins Paul J. Weidle Teresa M. Brown Ae M. Saekhou Bruce Coles

An investigation of a possible single-source sexual transmission case was conducted in upstate New York in 1997-1998 (MMWR 1999;48:413-416). Of 42 primary female contacts with the putative male index case, 13 tested positive for HIV infection. Blood was available for DNA sequencing (C2V3C3 region of the env gene and the p17-coding region of gag) from 10 of the 13 women, 1 HIV-infected secondary contact, and 2 HIV-infected persons from the community, but not from the index cam. Phylogenetic and distance analyses were performed with the inclusion of reference HIV subtype strains for both the env and gag gene regions, as was the two regions combined. A high degree of relatedness was found among DNA sequences of the 10 primary contacts that excluded reference strains, the secondary contact, and the community HIV control subjects. In conclusion, phylogenetic analysis of HIV strains in an epidemiologic investigation is highly useful in support of cluster identification, even without sampling from the putative index patient.

Index case

Contact tracing

Coding region

10.1089/088922202320567914

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Citations (17)

Gene conversion involving the pilin structural gene correlates with pilus+ ⇄ pilus− changes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Cell (1986)

J Swanson Sven Bergström Kenneth E. Robbins O Barrera Dan Corwin

Pilin

Phase variation

Neisseria gonorrhoeae

10.1016/0092-8674(86)90449-6

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Citations (168)

Window‐period human immunodeficiency virus transmission to two recipients by an adolescent blood donor

Transfusion (2004)

Ruby Phelps Kenneth E. Robbins Thomas M. Liberti Ana Machuca Germán F. Leparc

BACKGROUND: Pooled NAT and donor screening have reduced the diagnostic window period for HIV in the blood donor population to approximately 10 to 15 days. This report describes two cases of transfusion‐acquired HIV infection and verification of transmission from the donor to the recipients, and attempts to identify how the 18‐year‐old donor acquired her infection. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: After a repeat donor had a positive HIV test result, two recipients of the donor's previous donation were identified and tested. The donor and recipients were interviewed and blood samples were obtained for HIV DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: The two recipients had positive HIV test results. Phylogenetic analysis showed a high genetic similarity among the viruses (bootstrap 100%), consistent with transmission from the donor to the recipients. Four of five men with whom the donor had sexual contact during the critical time period when infection most likely occurred were located and tested; results were negative for HIV. CONCLUSIONS: Pooled NAT of blood donations has not eliminated the window period for HIV identification during seroconversion.

Window period

Seroconversion

10.1111/j.1537-2995.2004.03364.x

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Citations (75)

Genetic Analysis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Strains in Kenya: A Comparison Using Phylogenetic Analysis and a Combinatorial Melting Assay

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses (1999)

Kenneth E. Robbins Leondios G. Kostrikis Teresa M. Brown Omu Anzala Sunny Shin

We surveyed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) subtype distribution from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected in 1995 from 24 HIV-1-infected Kenyan residents (specimens from predominantly male truck drivers and female sex workers near Mombasa and Nairobi). Processed lysates from the PBMC samples were used for env amplification, directly sequenced, and analyzed by phylogenetic analysis. Envelope amplification products were also used for analysis in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay, called the combinatorial melting assay (COMA). Results of the two tests were compared for assignment of subtype for this Kenyan cohort. The COMA, a PCR capture technique with colorimetric signal detection, was used with HIV reference subtype strains as well as regional (East Africa) HIV strains for subtype identification. Performance of the COMA was at 100% concordance (24 of 24) as compared with DNA sequencing analysis. Phylogenetic analysis showed 17 isolates to be subtype A, 3 subtype D, and 4 subtype C viruses. This may represent an increase in subtype C presence in Kenya compared with previously documented reports. The COMA can offer advantages for rapid HIV-1 subtype screening of large populations, with the use of previously identified regional strains to enhance the identification of local strains. When more detailed genetic information is desired, DNA sequencing and analysis may be required.

Subtyping

Concordance

10.1089/088922299311295

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Citations (23)

Central African Hunters Exposed to Simian Immunodeficiency Virus

Emerging infectious diseases (2005)

Marcia L. Kalish Nathan Wolfe Clement B. Ndongmo Janet M. McNicholl Kenneth E. Robbins

Abstract HIV-seronegative Cameroonians with exposure to nonhuman primates were tested for simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection. Seroreactivity was correlated with exposure risk (p<0.001). One person had strong humoral and weak cellular immune reactivity to SIVcol peptides. Humans are exposed to and possibly infected with SIV, which has major public health implications.

Simian immunodeficiency virus

Simian

10.3201/eid1112.050394

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Citations (54)

Divergent HIV and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Surveillance, Zaire

Emerging infectious diseases (2005)

Amanda M. Schaefer Kenneth E. Robbins Eugene Nzila Nzilambi Michael E. St. Louis Thomas C. Quinn

Simian immunodeficiency virus

10.3201/eid1209.050179

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Citations (0)

Epidemiologic and Diagnostic Studies of Patients with Suspected Early Lyme Disease, Missouri, 1990-1993

The Journal of Infectious Diseases (1995)

Grant L. Campbell W Sternberg Paul M E Schriefer Robert B. Craven Kenneth E. Robbins

A retrospective case-control study investigated 45 Missouri outpatients with annular rashes meeting a surveillance case definition for erythema migrans and with onset in 1990-1991. Risk factors included being male, living near a body of water, and hunting. Twenty patients (44%) associated their rash with the bite of a tick; of these, 5 described an adult Amblyomma americanum. A typical rash was described as expanding over time and measuring 8 cm in diameter at 4 days after onset. Mild constitutional symptoms were common but fever was uncommon. Serologic tests failed to incriminate Borrelia burgdorferi or selected other arthropodborne pathogens. Skin specimens from suspected erythema migrans lesions of 23 Missouri patients sampled prospectively in 1991-1993 were culture-negative for B. burgdorferi. Thus, tick bite-associated annular rashes in Missouri remain idiopathic. Possible causes include infection with a novel A. americanum-transmitted pathogen and an atypical toxic or immunologic reaction to tick-associated proteins.

Amblyomma americanum

Erythema migrans

Erythema chronicum migrans

Erythema

Tick-borne disease

10.1093/infdis/172.2.470

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Citations (110)

Development of an env gp41-Based Heteroduplex Mobility Assay for Rapid Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Subtyping

Journal of Clinical Microbiology (2001)

S. M. Agwale Kenneth E. Robbins L. E. Odama A. Saekhou Clement Zeh

The gp120 region of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope (env) gene exhibits a high level of genetic heterogeneity across the group M subtypes. The heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA) has successfully been used to assign subtype classifications, but C2V5 primers often fail to amplify African strains. We developed an env gp41-based HMA for which the target sequence is amplified with highly conserved gp41 primers, known to efficiently amplify nucleic acids from HIV-1 group M, N, and O viruses. By using gp41 from a new panel of reference strains, the subtype assignments made by our modified HMA were concordant with those obtained by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 34 field strains from 10 countries representing subtypes A to G. Testing of field strains from Nigeria further demonstrated the utility of this modified assay. Of 28 samples, all could be amplified with gp41 primers but only 17 (60.7%) could be amplified with the standard C2V5 primers. Therefore, gp41-based HMA can be a useful tool for the rapid monitoring of prevalent subtypes in countries with divergent strains of circulating HIV-1.

Subtyping

Heteroduplex

10.1128/jcm.39.6.2110-2114.2001

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Citations (23)

Divergent HIV and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Surveillance, Zaire

Emerging infectious diseases (2005)

Amanda M. Schaefer Kenneth E. Robbins Eugene Nzila Nzilambi Michael E. St. Louis Thomas C. Quinn

Recent HIV infection or divergent HIV or simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) strains may be responsible for Western blot-indeterminate results on 70 serum samples from Zairian hospital employees that were reactive in an enzyme immunoassay. Using universal polymerase chain reaction HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV primers, we detected 1 (1.4%) HIV-1 sequence. Except for 1 sample, no molecular evidence for unusual HIV- or SIV-like strains in this sampling was found.

Simian immunodeficiency virus

Simian

10.3201/eid1109.050179

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Citations (5)