SEROLOGICAL, VIROLOGICAL, AND POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION STUDIES OF HIV TYPE-1 AND HIV TYPE-2 INFECTIONS IN GHANAIAN PATIENTS WITH AIDS AND AIDS-RELATED COMPLEX

We have used a particle agglutination (PA) test, Western blot (WE) tes t, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and virus isolation to define the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status of 17 acquired immunode ficiency syndrome (AIDS), 6 AIDS-related complex (ARC), and 2 asymptom atic Ghanaians. HIV-1 antibodies were more frequently detected. The PC R detected 66.7% HIV-1, 11.1% HIV-2, and 5.6% of both HIV-1 and HIV-2 proviral DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMCs) and PBMC-Mol t 4 coculture samples tested. Of the 12 viruses isolated from the 25 G hanaians, 9 were HIV-1, 2 were H1V-2, and both HIV-1 and HIV-2 were is olated from 1 individual. Two of the HIV-1 isolates were from ARC pati ents who have been PA negative and either HIV-1 or HIV-2 WE indetermin ate for more than 1 year without developing antibodies to HIV envelope proteins. Our results indicate that HIV-1 is now predominant in Ghana ian AIDS and ARC patients and that dual infection can occur.