HIV-2 INFECTION IN SPAIN - ANALYSIS OF TH E FIRST 50 CASES

BACKGROUND: infection by the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV- 2) is endemic in West Africa where it is responsible for many AIDS cas es. HIV-P has been described in subjects in other countries, mainly in African immigrants, although it may also be found in natives. The fir st cases of HIV-2 infection were identified in Spain in 1988. METHODS: The clinical, epidemiologic and virologic characteristics of the subj ects with HIV-2 infection identified in Spain up to November 1994 are described. RESULTS: Fifty people have been diagnosed with HIV-2 infect ion, being found mainly around the large urban centers (20 cases in Ma drid and 16 in Barcelona), All the cases were African immigrants excep t for 10 Spaniards (20%), 6 of whom had acquired the infection in ende mic areas while the other 4 (one prostitute from Barcelona and 3 bisex ual males from Guipuzcoa) had adquired the infection in Spain. Heteros exual transmission was implicated in all the cases except in 6 subject s (4 bisexual males, one case of probable intravenous transmission and one vertically infected child). Eight (all Spanish) patients have dev eloped AIDS and 5 have died to date, At least 10 other subjects have a CD4+ lymphocyte count lower than 0.2 x 10(9)/l, one being the only pe diatric patient (6-year-old male). CONCLUSIONS: HIV-2 infection is pre sent in Spain, although there is no evidence for a rapid dissemination of the virus outside the collective of African immigrants. The Spania rds with HIV-2 infection represent 20% of the cases having contracted the virus through sexual relations with natives from endemic areas.