HTLV-III/LAV Infection in Hemodialysis Patients
- Thomas A. Peterman, MD, MSc;
- Gordon R. Lang, MD;
- Norine J. Mikos, RN;
- Steven L. Solomon, MD;
- Charles A. Schable, MS;
- Paul M. Feorino, PhD;
- Judith A. Britz, PhD;
- James R. Allen, MD, MPH
- From the AIDS Branch, Division of Viral Diseases (Drs Peterman, Feorino, and Allen and Mr Schable), and the Hospital Infections Program (Dr Solomon), Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta; the Neomedica Dialysis Centers, Chicago (Dr Lang and Ms Mikos); and Electro-Nucleonics Inc, Columbia, Md (Dr Britz).
Abstract
Twenty-five (4.8%) of 520 hemodialysis patients were seropositive for antibody to human T-cell lymphotropic virus type III lymphadenopathyassociated virus (HTLV-III/LAV) by enzyme immunoassay. Four had high reactivity on enzyme immunoassay and positive results of Western blot tests, and one of the four had a positive culture. The remaining 21 seropositive patients had low reactivity on enzyme immunoassay, negative results of Western blot tests, and negative cultures. All had received blood transfusions and 19 had antibodies to antigens associated with the H9 cell line used to propagate HTLV-III for serological tests. We found that HTLV-III/LAV was not transmitted in the dialysis centers. Frequent blood transfusion places dialysis patients at risk for HTLV-III/LAV infection, but may more commonly lead to false-positive results of enzyme immunoassay tests.
(JAMA 1986;255:2324-2326)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to AIDS Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333 (Dr Peterman).
