AIDS in Africa: a public health priority

AIDS: conceptual and methodological issues in researching sexual behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper describes some of the conceptual and methodological issues encountered in the course of a study of mainly anthropological secondary source materials on sexual behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa. Its aim was to survey and review existing literature and other secondary sources available both outside and within Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa and to evaluate their usefulness to AIDS research and prevention. The review cautioned against the uncritical use of anthropological sources without due regard for their conceptual and methodological status. At the same time it demonstrated important ways in which anthropological insights can inform AIDS research.

Discrimination between antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2 in sera from northern Zaire

136 selected sera from Northern Zaire were screened for antibodies against HIV-1 and HIV-2 using the ELISA method. Reactive sera were confirmed with commercially available Western Blots and additional tests. A data base was used for evaluation of the results. The sera were collected in the town Isiro and in remote rural areas. 36 sera were reactive in the HIV-1 ELISA (ELAVIA-1), 19 of them were confirmed in the HIV-1 Western Blot (Biorad). 21 sera were reactive in the HIV-2 ELISA, but they were not confirmed as HIV-2-specific in three HIV-2 Western Blots (Diagnostics Pasteur, Biorad, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut).

Seroprevalence of human parvovirus B19 infection in Sao Tomé and Principe, Malawi and Mascarene Islands

The prevalence of antibodies to human parvovirus B19 (anti-B19 IgG) in sera (n = 577) from Sao Tomé and Principe, Malawi and Mascarene Islands (Mauritius and Rodriguez Islands) was determined by antibody capture ELISA. The B19 prevalence was 51.5% on Sao Tomé and Principe, 58.4% in Malawi, and 55.0% on the Mauritius mainland and 2.2% on Rodriguez Island, indicating that B19 virus is highly prevalent not only in Europe, Japan and the Americas but also in the African region. Rodriguez Islands has a very low B19 prevalence.