Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV2) infection in West Africans living in Catalonia

Most persons in whom HIV 2 antibodies have been isolated have been natives of West Africa where HIV 1 infection and AIDS are infrequent. Recently cases of Europeans infected with HIV 2 have been reported; most had lived in West Africa or had sexual relations with partners from the region. Heterosexual transmission was the most usual mode. 102 blood samples of West Africans living in Catalonia were retrospectively studied for HIV 1 and HIV 2. There were 98 men and 4 women in the study. 78 were from Gambia 22 from Senegal and 2 from Mali. All had consulted a hospital in Barcelona in 1986 for different reasons including a study protocol for tropical parasitosis hepatitis B infection and sexually transmitted diseases. The patients ranged in age from 17-36 years and averaged 26.3 years. Their average stay in Catalonia was 13 months. 62.9% reported sexual promiscuity with relations with 4 or more different partners each month at some time in their lives. None of the 102 samples were confirmed to be seropositive for HIV 1 and 3 were confirmed seropositive to HIV 2 with the Western blot test. All patients were asymptomatic.