Biology of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 (HIV-2)

Reply to Valadas and Antunes

“…The original Senegalese sex workers described in 1985 have been part of a 19-year prospective study of HIV-2 pathogenesis, immunity, and, more recently, antiretroviral treatment. In fact, the lowered transmission potential and decreased time to disease progression with HIV-2 infection was first described in this cohort of HIV-2 infected women, along with many other unique biological and clinically relevant features of HIV-2 infection [9][10][11][12]. We are in complete agreement with Valadas and Antunes on the need for further studies to determine the optimal course of treatment for HIV-2-infected individuals.…”

HIV-2: the Portuguese Connection

“…The original Senegalese sex workers described in 1985 have been part of a 19-year prospective study of HIV-2 pathogenesis, immunity, and, more recently, antiretroviral treatment. In fact, the lowered transmission potential and decreased time to disease progression with HIV-2 infection was first described in this cohort of HIV-2 infected women, along with many other unique biological and clinically relevant features of HIV-2 infection [9][10][11][12]. We are in complete agreement with Valadas and Antunes on the need for further studies to determine the optimal course of treatment for HIV-2-infected individuals.…”

Use of a New Dual-Antigen Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay To Detect and Characterize the Human Antibody Response to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 Envelope gp125 and gp36 Glycoproteins

“…Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2), the second AIDS virus isolated from west African patients in 1985 (8), is now present in all continents (20,21,23). The highest prevalence of HIV-2 in west Africa is found in Guinea-Bissau, where prevalence rates of between 5 and 10% of the adult urban population have been reported (39).…”