ANTIGEN P24 IN DIAGNOSIS OF HIV-1 INFECTION

In order to investigate the activity of the virus HIV-1 in an infected individual there is a need for a convenient assay for virus production. The introduction of a sensitive assay for HIV-1 antigen (p24) has proved to be a valuable indicator of virus expression during the course of infection. We have assesed the prevalence of p24 in the sera from infected asymptomatic individuals, patients with AIDS or AIDS related complex (ARC), infants of infected mothers and individuals with indeterminate antibody tests. Our results support the possible predictive value of p24 testing in HIV-1 infected patients in whom clinical manifestations developed.