Document 0763
 DOCN  M9440763
 TI    Neuropathologic analysis of postmortal brain samples of HIV-seropositive
       and -seronegative i.v. drug addicts.
 DT    9404
 AU    Gosztonyi G; Schmidt V; Nickel R; Rothschild MA; Camacho S; Siegel G;
       Zill E; Pauli G; Schneider V; Institut fur Neuropathologie, Berlin,
       Germany.
 SO    Forensic Sci Int. 1993 Nov;62(1-2):101-5. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/94131367
 AB    Between 1987 and 1992 we performed forensic-pathologic and
       neuropathologic examinations on 70 cases of i.v. drug addicts who died
       of an overdose. In almost 25% of the cases HIV-positivity was revealed
       by serological examinations. In all the cases, irrespective of the
       result of the serological examination, a diffuse, reactive astrocytosis
       was the most prominent histologic alteration, accompanied by more or
       less pronounced regressive changes of this cell type in the deep layers
       of the white matter. Furthermore, also in all the cases, a slight to
       moderate, reactive proliferation of microglia could be assessed. In a
       few cases of the HIV-seropositive group a lymphocytic meningitis, viz.
       meningoencephalitis was found; these changes may indicate an early
       invasion of the central nervous system (CNS) by the HIV. In spite of
       these inflammatory alterations, in the latter cases no HIV-specific
       antigens (p24 and gp41) could be demonstrated in the brain, most
       probably because of the small number of infectious particles. In order
       to reveal the earliest phase of invasion of the CNS by the HIV, we
       performed a search for HIV-specific nucleic acid sequences by the aid of
       the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 8 HIV-seronegative and 8 normal
       control cases. Although, most probably due to contamination, also the
       control cases exhibited some PCR-signals, these were more pronounced and
       appeared with more primer-pairs within the group of HIV-seronegative
       drug addicts. It is conceivable that HIV penetrates the CNS and is
       harboured in it in latent form shortly after the primary
       infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Brain Diseases/COMPLICATIONS/*PATHOLOGY  Case-Control Studies  Cause of
       Death  Comparative Study  Human  *HIV Seronegativity  HIV
       Seropositivity/COMPLICATIONS/*PATHOLOGY  Overdose  Polymerase Chain
       Reaction  Sensitivity and Specificity  Substance Abuse,
       Intravenous/*COMPLICATIONS/MORTALITY  Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  JOURNAL
       ARTICLE

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