Nucleotide sequences derived from the genome of retroviruses of the HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV type, and their uses in particular for the amplification of the genomes of these retroviruses and for the in vitro diagnosis of the diseases due to these viruses

摘要

The present invention relates to polypeptides encoded by a nucleotide sequence from an HIV-1, HIV-2, or SIV viral genome, in which the nucleotide sequence is amplified from the viral genome using a pair of primers that contain sequences that are conserved between different HIV and SIV strains. The primers are insensitive to variations in the genomes of different HIV and SIV isolates and, therefore, can be used to amplify nucleotide sequences from HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV strains. The invention also relates to antibodies directed against these polypeptides and methods and kits for diagnosing viral infection.