A prospective study of HIV-2 prevalence in France

A seroepidemiological surveillance study to investigate the spread of HIV-2 infection in France was organized in the last semester of 1987 on 100 114 blood donors and 10 004 selected people. Sera were simultaneously tested for antibodies to HIV-1 and to HIV-2 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and were confirmed by specific Western blot. A spot test using synthetic peptides was also applied when a sample was reactive by ELISA HIV-1 and HIV-2 and was confirmed as HIV-1 by Western blot. A total of 30 blood donors were confirmed as HIV-1 positive (0.030%) and no sample was confirmed as HIV-2 positive. In the selected population, the prevalence of HIV-infected people was 7.1% for HIV-1 and 0.09% for HIV-2. Eight of the nine HIV-2 cases were directly or indirectly connected to West Africa. Only one HIV-2 case had no known contact with these countries; he has been transfused and is under investigation. Except for this possible HIV-2 infection in a blood recipient, no HIV-2 seropositivity was found in at-risk groups (homosexuals, drug addicts and haemophiliacs). At present, HIV-2 does not seem to be widely spread in France. Seroepidemiological surveillance will be continued.