Serologic Evidence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection of the Central Nervous System in African Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

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Abstract
The intrathecal synthesis of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was determined by 3 different immunoassays in 15 African patients with pre-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS. Isoelectric focusing together with affinity-mediated immunoblot were found to be superior to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot in providing information not only about the antigen specificity of locally produced antibodies but also about their clonal distribution. In 9 of the subjects, HIV-specific oligoclonal bands were demonstrable with higher frequency or intensity in the cerebrospinal fluid than in the autologous serum, indicating autochthonous synthesis of HIV-related antibodies.