PRESENCE OF HIV-1 SUBTYPES B AND F AND HTLV-I IN HIV/HTLV COINFECTED INDIVIDUALS OF MARTINIQUE

AIDS is a growing public health problem in Martinique. 963 HIV-1-seropositive individuals were identified during 1985-93 among 350000 inhabitants. By the end of 1995 1200 cases had been identified. Globally 8 HIV-1 subtypes have been documented based upon env sequences with subtype B apparently being prevalent in the Caribbean. In Martinique HIV/HTLV coinfection was recently reported for 68 of 891 people infected with HIV. Sera and cells were frozen from 37 and 25 of these individuals respectively. The authors analyzed retrospectively the sera of the 37 individuals for the presence of HTLV-II and HIV-2 antibodies as well as for their reactivities against the different representative HIV-1 subtype peptides. Neither HIV-2 nor HTLV-II infection was found. Moreover in all the blood donors tested in the country since 1988 only HTLV-I has been identified. HIV-1 subtype B was the predominant form of HIV identified although one case of subtype F infection was detected.