LACK OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS INFECTION AND SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

The objective of this work was to determine whether HIV-1 and HIV-2 co uld be involved in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (S LE). Seventy-five consecutive Caucasian patients with SLE presenting a t one institution over a 2-year period were studied. Serum samples wer e surveyed for anti-HIV-1 antibodies by a commercial ELISA coated with HIV-1-p24. For confirmation, conventional immunoblots were perofmed w ith the following antigens: HIV-1-gp41, p31, p24 and p17 (recombinant) and HIV-2-gp36 (synthetic peptide). Additionally, Western blots with HIV-1-gp160, gp120, gp41, p65, p51, p24 and p18 bands were applied. Se venteen (23%) patients exhibited reactivity with HIV-1-p24 in the ELIS A, but in the immunoblots and Western blots these sera samples were ne gative. Patients with SLE may exhibit a reactivity with HIV-1-p24 in t he ELISA for HIV infection screening but not in the confirmatory blots . This false-positive reactivity is probably due to molecular mimicry between autoantigens and retroviruses or a contaminant or artefacts in the antigen preparation procedure.