Western Blot Band Profiles and Their Associations with Demographic Characteristics, Transmission Routes, and Immune...

This study investigated the associations between Western blot (WB) band profiles and demographic characteristics, transmission routes, and immune status among 737 newly diagnosed HIV-1-infected individuals in Quzhou City, China, from 2016 to 2024.

A total of 737 newly diagnosed HIV-1 individuals were enrolled. Confirmed demographic, epidemiological, and immunological data, including WB test results, were retrospectively collected and analyzed using chi-square tests and logistic regression models, with odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

The highest positive rates of WB bands were observed in gp160 (100%), gp41 (99.2%), p24 (96.1%), gp120 (93.0%), and p31 (89.7%), while p66 (30.4%), p51 (27.5%), and p55 (13.3%) had low positive rates. Multivariate regression analysis showed that female sex and men who have sex with men (MSM) were independently associated with higher odds of p66 (female sex: aOR = 1.790, P = 0.005; MSM: aOR = 2.657, P < 0.001) and p51 (female sex: aOR = 1.750, P = 0.008; MSM: aOR = 2.439, P < 0.001) bands. Baseline CD4+ T-cell counts were associated with lower odds of env bands (gp120, gp41, p31) but higher odds of core protein bands (p24, p17).

Baseline CD4+T cell counts were negatively correlated with antibodies against HIV-1 envelope proteins (gp120/gp41/p31), but positively correlated with antibodies against HIV-1 core proteins (p24/p17), indicating that WB band patterns correlate with immune status and may suggest relative stage of infection. P66 and p51 bands were known to emerge relatively late over the course of HIV infection. Multivariate regression demonstrated that female gender and MSM transmission were independent risk factors for p66/p51 seropositivity; higher p66/p51 positivity among MSM may hint at delayed diagnosis, though this association cannot be fully confirmed via cross-sectional data alone, and individual humoral immune variation also contributes to differential band reactivity. Combined with CD4+ T-cell levels, WB band seropositivity patterns may provide auxiliary epidemiological clues for targeted early screening and intervention for high-risk groups, yet WB band profiles cannot act as standardized tools to precisely judge infection duration or formal HIV disease staging due to lack of longitudinal verification.

WB band profiles show a significant correlation with gender, transmission route, and baseline CD4+ T-cell counts. Restricted by the cross-sectional design, these band patterns cannot precisely determine delayed diagnosis, yet they may supply auxiliary reference about immune status for newly infected cases.