DETECTION OF HIV-1 DNA IN NEEDLE SYRINGES, PARAPHERNALIA, AND WASHES FROM SHOOTING GALLERIES IN MIAMI - A PRELIMINARY LABORATORY REPORT

Shared use of injection equipment (needle/syringes), registering, boot ing, and backloading are practices among injection drug users (IDUs) t hat increase risk for transmission of human immunodeficiency virus typ e 1 (HIV-1). The sharing of injection paraphernalia (including cookers and cottons) and washwater for rinsing used needle/syringes and disso lving drugs could be potential sources for secondary transmission of H IV-1. Laboratory rinses were made from needle/syringes, cottons, and c ookers obtained from shooting galleries, and washwaters were obtained from shooting galleries in Miami. Three rinses were analyzed and antib odies to HIV-1 proteins were detected by using Western blot and HIV-1 DNA was detected by using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) speci fic for the gag and envelope genes of HIV-1. Antibodies to HIV-1 prote ins were detected in 12 (52%) of 23 rinses from visibly contaminated n eedle/syringes, in three (18%) of 17 rinses from cottons, in three (14 %) of 21 rinses from cookers, and in one (6%) of 17 washwaters. No ant ibodies were detected in laboratory rinses from visibly clean needles. Using nested PCR followed by Southern blot confirmation of the amplif ied targets, HIV-1 gag gene DNA was detected in 16 (84%) of 19 and env elope gene DNA in 17 (85%) of 20 laboratory rinses from visibly contam inated needle/syringes. We detected gag and envelope gene DNA, respect ively, in three (27%) and four (36%) of 11 cottons, in six (46%) and s even (54%) of 13 cookers, and in five (38%) of 13 and in 10 (67%) of 1 5 washwaters from shooting galleries. No HIV-1 DNA was detected in lab oratory rinses from visibly clean needles. These results indicate that HIV-1 might be present in contaminated cottons, cookers, and washwate rs as well as in contaminated needle/syringes at shooting galleries. R eduction of risks of exposure to HIV-1 among IDUs may require modifica tion of behaviors that are ancillary to the act of injection, such as the use of common cookers, cottons, and washwater.