HIV-1 and HIV-2 seroprevalence rates in mother-child pairs living in The Gambia (west Africa).

A seroepidemiological study was conducted, during 1988 and 1989, of mother-child pairs living in The Gambia (West Africa) in order to determine the distribution of the human immunodeficiency viruses type 1 (HIV-1) and type 2 (HIV-2). Specimens were obtained from 931 children (age range, 14-17, months) and 923 mothers (age range, 14-17 years) using village-based cluster samples; the children are participating in The Gambia Hepatitis Intervention Study (GHIS), a large-scale HBV vaccination program. Large numbers of indeterminate Western blot patterns were observed among the mothers, mainly for HIV-1 antibodies; HIV-1 infected subjects were not found, whereas an HIV-2 seroprevalence rate of 0.75% was observed. The children born to the seven HIV-2 positive women were seronegative for HIV-2 antibodies, and none of the children showed HIV-2 or HIV-1 seropositively.