RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANTI-P24 ANTIBODY-LEVELS AND P24 ANTIGENEMIA IN HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS

We studied the influence of MV p24 antigen immune complexing with anti -p24 antibodies on the assessment of their respective levels in HIV-po sitive sera. ELISAs were used to evaluate anti-p24 antibody levels and p24 antigenemia, with or without acid dissociation. Observations incl ude the following: (1) p24 antigenemia usually coexisted with low anti -p24 levels; (2) the p24 antigen concentration inversely correlated wi th anti-p24 antibody levels; and (3) acid dissociation increased the p ercentage of p24 antigen-positive sera, mostly when anti-p24 was low. In contrast, (1) antigenemia and antibodies varied independently in an tiretroviral-treated AIDS patients, undetectable p24 antigen coexistin g then with low anti-p24; (2) after acid dissociation, antigen was sti ll undetectable in 83% of sera with high antibody levels, and in 20% w ith low antibody levels; and (3) acid dissociation did not increase lo w anti-p24 levels. Whereas the first set of observations indicates tha t p24 antigen and anti-p24 antibodies can be engaged in immune complex es, the second set indicates that p24 antigen and antibodies were not inevitably linked in such complexes: they may actually be indicative o f two distinct biological phenomena.