HIV infection and HIV-1 clades among pregnant women in Harare, Zimbabwe
Obi, C.L.; McAdoo, H.P.; Murray, M.; Tswana, S.A.; Moyo, S.R.
Central African Journal of Medicine 43(7): 188-192
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-9176 PMID: 9431751 Document Number: 475752
Objective: To determine HIV-1 seropositivity and HIV-1 clades/subtypes among pregnant women attending different clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe. Design: A prospective study. Subjects: 206 pregnant women attending Edith Opperman and Budiriro clinics in Harare. Main Outcome Measures: Frequency distribution of the various HIV-1 clades and rate of HIV-1 seropositivity. Results: Results obtained showed that out of the 206 pregnant women screened, 60 (29.1%) were HIV-1 seropositive. The most predominant clade was HIV-1 clade C (66.6%) whereas HIV-1 clades A and B accounted for 48.3% and 33.3% of HIV-1 clades respectively. Results also revealed dual infections with clades A and C (45%), A and D (10%), B and C (30%) and multiple infections with A, B, C and D (6.6%) whereas two (3.3%) were non-reactive. Conclusion: Finally, the data on HIV-1 clades are of immense immunological, molecular and epidemiological importance in Harare, Zimbabwe and should serve as base line data for future investigations in the country.