[Isolation of HIV-2 from AIDS patient in Ghana and analysis of sero-reactive patterns of Ghanaian sera]

Institute for Virus Research Kyoto University and Noguchi Memorial Research Institute in Ghana jointly isolated HIV-2 from a Ghanaian AIDS patient. Ghanaian HIV-2[GH-1] was similar in genomic organization to but different in Restriction Enzyme Maps from the first isolated case French LAV-2 (HIV-2ROD). This fact is significant in suggesting multiplicity of HIV-2 virus. HIV-2[GH-1] was different from LAV-2 in its antigenicity of envProtein. Sero-reactive patterns of 125 Ghanaians including 57 AIDS/ARC patients were analyzed using HIV-1 HIV-2 and SIVAGM as antigen. 4 groups were recognized. Group I was HIV-1 only positive; Group II HIV-2-only positive; Group III mixed HIV-1 and HIV-2 positive; Group IV reacted to gag protein of HIV-1 HIV-2 and SIVAGM but not to envProtein of any. 24 Ghanians were HIV-1 positive; 38 were HIV-2 positive. 19 out of 20 HIV-2-only positive patients were AIDS/ARC patients. Symptoms and route of infection from HIV-1 and HIV-2 AIDS seem to be similar but HIV-2 is weaker pathologically and in communicability. HIV positive patients were mostly found in the big city such as Accra among young women especially prostitutes who were migratory "workers" in neighboring countries along the Ivory Coast. Sero-reactive patterns of Ghanaians with SIV as antigen had been known for some time to be different from those of Kenyans in the east coast and those of Gabonese. While KEnyans antibody was high for HIV-1 and lower for SIVAGM Ghanians was higher for SIVAGM than HIV-1. Gaboneses was in between. With discovery of LAV-2 (HIV-2ROD) and Ghanian hybridization with its DNA probe Ghanaians was found to have among other things VPX and VPR in common with HIV-2ROD.