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Clinical Trial
. 1998 Jan;177(1):34-9.
doi: 10.1086/513816.

Cell-free human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in breast milk

P Lewis  1 , R Nduati, J K Kreiss, G C John, B A Richardson, D Mbori-Ngacha, J Ndinya-Achola, J Overbaugh
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Cell-free human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in breast milk

P Lewis et al. J Infect Dis. 1998 Jan.

Abstract

Breast-feeding may be an important route of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vertical transmission in settings where it is routinely practiced. To define the prevalence and quantity of HIV-1 in cell-free breast milk, samples from HIV-1-seropositive women were analyzed by quantitative competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (QC-RT-PCR). HIV-1 RNA was detected in 29 (39%) of 75 specimens tested. Of these 29 specimens, 16 (55%) had levels that were near the detection limit of the assay (240 copies/mL), while 6 (21%) had >900 copies/mL. The maximum concentration of HIV-1 RNA detected was 8100 copies/mL. The prevalence of cell-free HIV-1 was higher in mature milk (47%) than in colostrum (27%, P = 0.1). Because mature milk is consumed in large quantities, these data suggest that cell-free HIV-1 in breast milk may contribute to vertical transmission of HIV-1.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Quantitative competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (QC-RT-PCR) analysis of HIV-1 in breast milk. A, Comparison of QC-RT-PCR performed on HIV-1–spiked breast milk incubated for 0 or 16 h at room temperature. Presence of reverse transcriptase and quantity of competitor in each reaction is indicated above lanes. Sizes of wild type and competitor products are indicated by arrows on right. B, Representative patient samples MM 97 and MM 06, analyzed by QC-RT-PCR. Lane 1, wild type HIV-1 and competitor size markers.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of HIV-1 RNA in breast milk. Ratios inside bars are no. detected/no. of specimens tested.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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