COST-EFFECTIVE DIAGNOSIS OF HIV-1 AND HIV-2 BY RECOMBINANT-EXPRESSED ENV PEPTIDE (566 996) DOT-BLOT ANALYSIS/

Objective: To characterize the recombinant env peptides, 566 (HIV-1) a nd 996 (HIV-2), for their ability to serodiagnose HIV-1 and HIV-2 infe ction. To develop a cost-effective dot-blot format for these peptides, and to evaluate its performance in a developing country laboratory. D esign: The recombinant env peptides were evaluated using a select pane l of sera (n = 327) with known serostatus from geographically diverse areas. A dot-blot assay was developed and tested on a second set of im munoblotted sera (n = 331) and further evaluated in the field on a thi rd set of sera (n = 2718) from study populations. Methods: All sera we re evaluated by immunoblot with both HIV-1 and HIV-2 viral lysates. Th e recombinant env peptides were characterized in immunoblot assay befo re development of the dot-blot assay. Results: The 566 (HIV-1) peptide showed 100% sensitivity and specificity. The 996 (HIV-2) peptide perf ormed similarly, but showed the presence of HIV-1 cross-reactive epito pes. When the two env peptides were used together, there was high spec ificity and sensitivity for detecting HIV-positive sera in both immuno blot and dot-blot formats. The dot-blot assay performed in the field s howed slightly lower specificity and sensitivity for HIV diagnosis. Th e relative cost of this assay combined with non-commercial immunoblot confirmation was 10-fold lower than conventional commercial assays. Co nclusions: The 566 and 996 env peptides are appropriate antigens for H IV serotype diagnosis. A dot-blot assay using these peptides may be a useful cost-effective method for HIV diagnosis applicable in developin g country laboratories.