Abstract
Objective: To compare risk factors for infants whose cord blood was positive for HIV DNA with those who were cord blood-negative but found to be HIV DNApositive in early infancy. Methods: In 1994, infants born to HIV-infected women were enrolled in a study in Blantyre, Malawi. Birth weight and transmission risk factors from cord blood positive infants were compared with cord blood-negative/HIV-positive infants on their first postnatal visit (4-7 weeks of age). Testing for HIV DNA on cord and peripheral blood was performed by polymerase chain reaction. Results: Of 249 HIV-infected infants (overall transmission rate, 26%), 83 (33%) were cord blood-positive and 166 were initially cord blood-negative. The mean birth weight was 2.1% (59 g) lighter in cord blood-positive infants than initially cord blood-negative infants; initially cord blood-negative infants were 2.8% (80 g) lighter than uninfected infants born to HIV-infected women. There were no significant differences in the risk factors for infection between HIV-infected cord blood-positive and -negative infants; when transmission was increased, both HIV-infected cord blood-positive and -negative infants contributed to the increase in a similar proportion. Interpretation: It was concluded that umbilical cold blood positivity for HIV DNA did not identify a subset of in utero HIV-infected infants and suggested that HIV-infected cord blood-positive and -negative infants have similar timing and routes of HIV infection.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1375-1382 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | AIDS |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1997 |
Keywords
- AIDS
- Cord blood
- HIV
- Infants
- Perinatal transmission
- Vertical transmission
- Viruses
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases