AIDS. 1999 Jun 18;13(9):1025-8. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of the CC chemokine receptor 5
(CCR5) for parenteral transmission of HIV-1. DESIGN: The prevalence of
the delta32 deletion within the CCR5 gene was determined in a cohort of
207 patients, who had received documented amounts of non-antibody-tested
and non-inactivated clotting factor concentrate. METHODS: Chromosomal
DNA of haemophiliacs was isolated from whole blood. A portion of the
CCR5 gene spanning the delta32 deletion was amplified by PCR. The
resulting DNA fragments were analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis.
RESULTS: The rate of HIV-1 infection was correlated strongly with
increasing amounts of inoculated clotting factor concentrate. None of
the HIV-positive patients (n = 129) had the delta32/delta32 genotype,
whereas 12 out of 78 HIV-negative haemophiliacs had the homozygous
delta32 deletion. CONCLUSIONS: The delta32/delta32 genotype was highly
protective against HIV-1 infection, even in patients who had received
millions of non-inactivated clotting factor units. As it is likely that
in the early 1980s plasma pools were contaminated not only with
monocyte-tropic HIV-1 strains, CCR5 appears to be the major mediator of
HIV-1 infection. Furthermore, we conclude that there must be other
protective mechanisms in multiply exposed non-infected haemophiliacs who
have wild-type CCR5.
JOURNAL ARTICLE Base Sequence Cohort Studies CD4 Lymphocyte Count
DNA/ANALYSIS Genotype Hemophilia A/*COMPLICATIONS/GENETICS Human HIV
Infections/COMPLICATIONS/*IMMUNOLOGY/*TRANSMISSION HIV-1/*PHYSIOLOGY
Receptors, CCR5/*GENETICS RNA, Viral/BLOOD Sequence Deletion