Antibodies to HIV-1 in sera from patients with mycobacterial infections

Sera from 478 persons (348 leprosy patients, 33 tuberculosis patients, 29 healthy contacts of leprosy patients, 38 normal healthy Indians, and 30 normal healthy Europeans) were screened for anti-HIV-1 IgG antibodies by ELISA. None was positive. In addition, 132 samples (from 43 leprosy patients, 21 tuberculosis patients, 5 healthy contacts of leprosy patients, 33 normal healthy Indians, and 30 normal healthy Europeans) were also tested by Western blot assay for anti-HIV-1 IgG antibodies. Only 1 of the 63 healthy subjects expressed a prominent p17 band. One or more bands were found in 44 (leprosy patients 33/43, tuberculosis patients 7/21, and leprosy contacts 4/5) of the remaining 69 sera. Antibody to the HIV-1-specific antigen p24 was expressed by 17 of these subjects (14/43 leprosy patients, 1/21 tuberculosis patients, and 2/5 leprosy contacts), either as a single band or in combination with other bands. This raises the possibility of a common antigenic pattern between HIV-1 and mycobacteria, especially Mycobacterium leprae.