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S Z Wiktor

Publications and source records attributed to S Z Wiktor.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

Determination of a unique and immunodominant epitope of human T cell lymphotropic virus type I.

The identification and isolation of unique and immunogenic recombinant epitopes for human T cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV) type I might allow the development of an antibody-based assay to differentiate between HTLV-I and HTLV-II infections. To test the feasibility of this approach, an HTLV-I envelope epitope was isolated by immunoscreening of a lambda gt11 recombinant HTLV-I DNA library with a human monoclonal antibody to HTLV-I. This recombinant epitope. MTA-4, when tested with sera from HTLV-I- or HTLV-II-infected individuals, was reactive with all HTLV-I and nonreactive with all HTLV-II antisera. These results indicate that MTA-4 is a unique and immunodominant epitope on HTLV-I and confirm the usefulness of human-derived monoclonal antibodies in an experimental approach to dissect the human humoral response to a viral pathogen.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1990

Effect of knowledge of human immunodeficiency virus infection status on sexual activity among homosexual men.

One hundred thirty-four homosexual men from a prospective cohort study of AIDS risk from New York City and Washington D.C. and 139 homosexual men from a similar cohort in Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark were questioned regarding their sexual practices and knowledge of their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status over the previous 12 months. Seventy percent of Danish men and 63% of U.S. men participated in anal intercourse during the previous 12 months. Knowledge of one's own HIV status by itself did not have any significant effect on participation in anal intercourse, partner number, or condom use. Only 23% of U.S. men and 24% of Danish men always asked potential partners about their HIV status. However, men who did ask were very unlikely to choose a partner of opposite HIV status (p less than 0.006). Danish men were more likely to practice anal intercourse without a condom than were the U.S. men (p less than 0.0001); however, Danes were more likely to be in a concordant monogamous relationship than were the U.S. men (p less than 0.001). Fourteen percent of U.S. men and 21% of Danish men were not aware of their own HIV status and 52% of the U.S. cohort and 31% of the Danes had anal intercourse with a man whose status was unknown to them. Overall, only 32% of American and 53% of Danish homosexual men were practicing completely safe sex. We suggest that education to promote the need for awareness of one's own and one's partner's HIV status should be stressed.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1989

Neopterin: a predictive marker of acquired immune deficiency syndrome in human immunodeficiency virus infection.

In 79 homosexual men infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), urinary neopterin was significantly higher as compared with 70 HIV-seronegative men in the same cohort (p less than 0.0001). This highly significant association was found both for naturally occurring oxidized (native) neopterin and for total neopterin (native plus chemically oxidized forms). In prospective follow-up for 18 months, the odds that the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) would develop were elevated 25-fold among those whose native neopterin levels were in the highest quartile compared with those with lower neopterin levels, and the corresponding odds ratio for total neopterin was 7.8. Logistic regression analyses indicated that neopterin added useful information to T4-cell count in predicting AIDS onset and that both are statistically significant in the multivariate model. A cross-sectional survey revealed that neopterin levels were correlated with number of receptive anal intercourse partners in the year before HIV seroconversion (r = 0.60, p = 0.0005). Since neopterin may serve as a marker of monocyte/macrophage activation by soluble factors such as gamma-interferon, these data support a growing body of virologic and immunologic evidence that highlights the important role of the monocyte/macrophage in the pathogenesis of AIDS.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mother-to-child transmission of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I associated with prolonged breast-feeding.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the risk of transmitting human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) through breast-feeding. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: To assess the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HTLV-I, 212 HTLV-I-seropositive women and 145 HTLV-I-seronegative women were enrolled in a prospective cohort study conducted in Kingston, Jamaica. Their offspring were examined at regular intervals, and HTLV-I serostatus was determined at each visit. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of the 181 children with at least one postnatal visit born to HTLV-I-seropositive women (and none of the children born to HTLV-I-seronegative women) were persistently seropositive and were considered HTLV-I infected (Kaplan-Meier estimated cumulative incidence, 18%; 95% CI, 12%-24%). Among children observed for at least 24 months, 19 (32%) of 60 children breast fed for 12 months or longer were HTLV-I seropositive, compared with only 8 (9%) of 86 children breast-fed for less than 12 months (relative risk, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.7-6.9). Compared with children weaned at younger ages, transmission of HTLV-I was associated with continued breast-feeding of children who were 12 to 18 months of age (relative hazard, 6.4; 95% CI, 2.1-180.2) and older than 18 months (relative hazard, 18.1; 95% CI, 1.4-29.5). Transmission was also associated with higher maternal antibody titer (a possible marker of virus load), prolonged duration of ruptured membranes during childbirth, and lower maternal income. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that limiting the duration of breast-feeding to less than 12 months for children born to HTLV-I-seropositive mothers may significantly reduce mother-to-child transmission of HTLV-I.

Adult↗