02409nas a2200445   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001000055653002600065653002400091653002000115653003100135653001100166653002300177653002300200653001600223653001900239653003100258653001900289653001100308653001200319653002400331653000900355653001600364653002500380100001400405700001400419700001300433700001200446700001300458700000900471700001300480700001400493700001200507245021800519300001200737490000800749520119200757022001401949       1994                            d  c1994 Feb10aAdult10aAntibodies, Bacterial10aAntigens, Bacterial10aCross Reactions10aDeltaretrovirus Infections10aFemale10aGene Products, gag10aGene Products, pol10aGlycolipids10aHIV Antibodies10aHIV Envelope Protein gp12010aHIV Infections10aHumans10aleprosy10aLipopolysaccharides10aMale10aMiddle Aged10aMycobacterium leprae1 aKashala O1 aMarlink R1 aIlunga M1 aDiese M1 aGormus B1 aXu K1 aMukeba P1 aKasongo K1 aEssex M00aInfection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human T cell lymphotropic viruses among leprosy patients and contacts: correlation between HIV-1 cross-reactivity and antibodies to lipoarabinomannan.  a296-3040 v1693 a<p>To determine the association between leprosy and human retroviral infections, 57 leprosy patients, 39 leprosy contacts, and 500 pregnant women were investigated serologically for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) and human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) types I and II. Antibodies to Mycobacterium leprae phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I), and lipoarabinomannan (LAM) were also analyzed. A low prevalence of HIV-1 infection was observed among leprosy patients (3.5%), leprosy contacts (0), and pregnant women (3.6%). Antibodies to HTLV-I but not -II were found more often in leprosy patients (8.7%) and contacts (12.8%) than in pregnant women (0). Sera from leprosy patients and leprosy contacts were often false-positive for HIV-1 by ELISA and were indeterminate by Western blot. LAM IgM and PGL-I IgM antibodies in sera from leprosy patients yielded significant cross-reactivities with HIV-1 pol and gag proteins. These data suggest that mycobacterial cell wall antigens may share common epitopes with HIV. Caution should be exercised when interpreting HIV-1 ELISA and Western blot data from regions where leprosy or other mycobacterial diseases are endemic.</p>  a0022-1899