Assessment of HIV p24 antibody response in HIV discordant couples in Anambra state, Nigeria

The current management approach of HIV/AIDS is not associated with curative potential via the HAART regimen, thus necessitating alternative treatment approaches. Current vaccine target options have limited protective efficacy and thus create the need for the identification of better and more reactive immunogenic HIV epitopes. Our study therefore aims to assess the formation of naturally occurring HIV-specific p24 antibodies among HIV heterosexual serodiscordant couples. This study was carried out in two hospitals, all of which can manage HIV-positive clients and also offer counselling and case management services. After the issuance of the ethical approval, a total of 64 participants were selected for the ELISA to detect HIV-specific antibodies for p24 antibodies. R version 4.3.2 was utilized for the analysis. The mean age of participants recruited stood at 38 years with an equal number of males and females, since all participants were HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples. Thus, the antigen-antibody ELISA results indicated that IgM and IgG3 predominantly reacted with p24 (29.7% and 25% of samples testing positive). Further binomial regression analysis identified no predictors for the formation of HIV-specific p24 antibody immune response. However, it was established that the development of this antibody in HIV-seronegative partners was not dependent on their partners, suggesting the potential benefit of incorporating HIV p24 antigenic epitopes in vaccine development. This study therefore provides substantive evidence for the natural development of antibodies to other proteins of the HIV molecule beyond the HIV Envelope region that has been consistently targeted in previous studies. Thus, future studies need to explore the protective efficacy of these antibodies.