'Silent' HIV infection among wives of seropositive HIV carriers in the Ethiopian community in Israel.

We have previously described the phenomenon of 'silent HIV carriers', i.e. individuals with HIV specific immunity and a positive PCR for HIV-1, yet HIV seronegative. In the present study, we have looked for such 'silent' carriers among wives of individuals infected with HIV in Africa (Ethiopia). In addition to determining HIV serology, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were tested by PCR for HIV-1 and for their ability to generate specific antibodies to HIV upon polyclonal B-cell activation (P-BAT). Out of 16 wives so tested, three were HIV seropositive and among the 13 seronegatives, eight were P-BAT positive and five were both P-BAT and PCR positive. These findings suggest that (1) 'silent' HIV carriers may indeed be present in African populations; (2) interpretation of the 'silent' carrier phenomenon is not clear and will depend on clinical follow-up and the ability to culture virus from such carriers; and (3) results of HIV serology in this population and probably in other African populations should be viewed with caution.