Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 2 Infection in the United States

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Abstract
WITHIN the past year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has licensed two combined human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)/human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for screening donated blood and plasma. The FDA has also mandated that by June 1, 1992, US blood centers must implement testing for antibodies to HIV-2 in addition to testing for antibodies to HIV-1. Implementation of this policy and reports of HIV-2—infected US residents have raised important public health and clinical questions about HIV-2 infection in the United States. This article summarizes current information regarding the epidemiology and diagnosis of HIV-2 infection and discusses public health considerations that arise from the presence of HIV-2 in the United States. BACKGROUND: WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION, TRANSMISSION, AND NATURAL HISTORY Infection with HIV-2 is endemic in many countries in West Africa, but generally much rarer elsewhere in the world.1,2The highest prevalence of HIV-2 infection