02401nas a2200397   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002600055653002200081653002000103653003800123653001300161653000800174653001700182653003100199653003000230653001100260653003100271653002300302653002900325653003100354653001700385100001800402700001300420700002100433700001400454700001900468700001500487700001400502700001200516245009400528300001000622490000700632520135000639022001401989       2008                            d  c2008 Jul10aAntibodies, Bacterial10aBlotting, Western10aCross Reactions10aEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay10aEpitopes10aHIV10aHIV Antigens10aHIV Envelope Protein gp12010aHIV Reverse Transcriptase10aHumans10aMycobacterium tuberculosis10aProtein Precursors10aReagent Kits, Diagnostic10aSequence Analysis, Protein10aTuberculosis1 aSwaminathan S1 aHanna LE1 aSundaramurthi JC1 aLeonard A1 aAngayarkanni B1 aFrancis AC1 aLakshmi S1 aNayak K00aPrevalence and pattern of cross-reacting antibodies to HIV in patients with tuberculosis.  a941-60 v243 a<p>In many countries, HIV testing among tuberculosis (TB) patients is recommended so that both infections are appropriately treated. Cross-reacting antibodies to HIV antigens have been reported for several conditions, including TB, leprosy, malaria, and rheumatoid arthritis. To study the pattern and prevalence of cross-reacting antibodies to HIV antigens, we examined sera from 153 HIV-negative TB patients and 40 healthy individuals in Chennai, south India. We also studied the differences in cross-reactivity of various HIV antigens using two different Western blot kits. Of the 153 samples studied, 80 were tested using HIV Western blot and 73 were tested using INNOLIA. Most patients in the study had concordantly negative ELISA and rapid tests, and no subject had a positive Western blot. However, seven TB patients had antibodies that cross-reacted with HIV antigens, giving rise to an indeterminate result. While p51/55 was the most frequently recognized antigen in the Western blot assay, antibodies to sgp120 was most frequently identified in INNOLIA. Sequence similarities between the two organisms could be responsible for eliciting cross-reacting antibodies, since a few related epitopes were identified in HIV and Mycobacterium. These findings could have potential implications for the development of diagnostics and vaccines.</p>  a1931-8405