Risk factors for HIV-2 infection in Guinea-Bissau

To define the epidemiology of HIV-2 infection the authors conducted a case-control study among hospitalized patients at an acute care hospital in Bissau Guinea-Bissau a country with endemic HIV-2 infection. Among 128 patients with various diagnoses 23 (18%) were positive for HIV-2 by ELISA and western blot. 1 of these patients were serologically reactive for HIV-1 also but PCR and viral culture revealed the presence of HIV_2 only. To study risk factors behaviors and AIDS knowledge as they relate to the acquisition of HIV infection 22 HIV-2 seropositive and 21 seronegative hospitalized patients were given a physical examination and administered a questionnaire. Among women transfusion was associated with HIV-2 infection (OR=14.4 p=0.02); among men sex with a prostitute was the principal risk factor (OR=undefined p=0.02). Although 79% of the HIV-infected patients and controls had knowledge about AIDS only 17% of the study participants and 50% of the males reporting sex with prostitutes had used condoms in the previous year. These data suggest that the risk factors for HIV-2 are similar to those for HIV-1 and support previous studies which showed that HIV-2 is the predominant HIV in Guinea-Bissau. Efforts to decrease transmission of HIV-2 should include screening for HIV-2 in blood for transfusions in endemic areas (now done in Bissau) and education about the risks of sexual transmission. (authors)