Local synthesis of IgG antibodies to HIV within the female and male genital tracts during asymptomatic and pre-AIDS stages of HIV infection.

Abstract

Paired sera and cervicovaginal secretions or seminal fluids, obtained from HIV-1-infected, clinically asymptomatic women (n = 41) and men (n = 12), were investigated in order to test the hypothesis of a local synthesis of IgG to HIV in the female and male reproductive tracts. Anti-gp41 + p24 IgG was evaluated by an IgG immunocapture assay, and anti-gp160 IgG by an indirect ELISA. Estimation of anti-HIV IgG-specific activities was carried out after ponderal determination of total IgG and evaluation of anti-HIV IgG activity. IgG to gp41 + p24, as well as IgG to gp160, were specifically detected in all sera, cervicovaginal secretions, and seminal fluid samples from all tested HIV-1-infected subjects. The mean specific activities of IgG to gp41 + p24 in cervicovaginal secretions and in seminal fluids were about 33-fold (in women) and 16-fold (in men) that of the corresponding sera; similarly, the mean specific activities of IgG to gp160 in genital secretions were about 17-fold (in women) and 10-fold (in men) that of the corresponding sera. IgGs to HIV are constantly detected in genital secretions from HIV-1-infected subjects, and appear to be largely synthesized in situ within the genital tract of both genders.