Serologic reactivity of a synthetic peptide from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 gp41 with sera from a Mexican population

The reactivities of 1,172 serum samples obtained from asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-positive and HIV-1-negative individuals residing in Mexico to a synthetic disulfide-looped peptide from the HIV-1 gp41 (amino acids 602 to 616 [IWGCSGKLICTTAVP] were examined by an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) procedure. Antibodies to the synthetic peptide were detected in 261 of 268 serum samples from HIV-positive individuals (sensitivity, 97.4%). The peptide also reacted with 12 of 904 serum samples from control HIV-negative individuals (specificity, 98.7%). Western blots (immunoblots) of four of the seven serum samples that produced false-negative results in the ELISA showed that three of them reacted weakly with gp41 and strongly with gp120, p55, and/or p24. Potential diagnostic difficulties raised by the reported C1q binding capacity of this peptide were also evaluated: few and weak false-positive results were found among sera from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (1 of 31) and neurocysticercosis (2 of 111). In fact, strong reactivity with the peptide spotted an undetected HIV infection underlying clinical neurocysticercosis.