From 1995 to 1999, HIV-2 infection was more frequently found in female patients (64; 67.4%). Portugal was the country of birth of 54.7% of individuals. Cases attributed to transfusions declined to 10.5%, while those attributed to heterosexual intercourse increased selleck kinase inhibitor to 65.3%. Three cases of vertical transmission were diagnosed, while for 17 patients (17.9%) the mode of transmission was not specified. During this period, 63.2% (60) of the diagnoses were made in hospitals located in the south of the country. From January 2000 to December 2004, 127 additional patients were identified. Most

cases were still among female patients (84; 66.1%). The major differences from the previous periods were the patients’ country of origin and residence area, with the majority (77; 60.6%) coming from West African countries and being diagnosed in Lisbon (100; 78.7%). Heterosexual intercourse remained the primary mode of HIV-2 acquisition (75; 59.1%) while blood transfusions almost

disappeared as a cause of infection (6; 4.7%). In 31.5% of cases the route of transmission was not specified. Most patients had no AIDS-defining illness at diagnosis (80; 63.0%), although the stage at diagnosis was not possible to ascertain for 20 patients (15.7%). In the last three years of the study period (2005–2007), 73 additional patients were diagnosed with HIV-2 infection: 39 women and 34 men. The average age HCS assay at diagnosis was

higher than in the previous periods (43.0 years for women and 48.7 years for men). West African origin was reported for 64.4% of patients (47), while 23.3% (17) were Portuguese. More than 80% of the diagnoses were made at one of the participant hospitals located in Lisbon. Most patients were Phloretin infected heterosexually (39; 53.4%) and only 4.1% through blood transfusions. No case of vertical transmission was documented. However, the mode of transmission was not specified for 30 patients (41.1%). This sample of 442 HIV-2-infected patients is the largest sample of HIV-2-infected patients ever described. The sample represents 37% of all HIV-2 (mono)infections notified in Portugal as of the end of 2007 and includes patients from hospitals that cover a wide geographical area. The proportion of cases identified over each time period resembles the pattern observed for notified cases and the sample is representative of the transmission dynamics of HIV-2 in the country (Table 2). From 1985 to 2007, HIV-2-infected patients included in the sample presented distinct characteristics according to the period of diagnosis. Until 2000, the majority of HIV-2-infected patients were Portuguese-born men living in the north of the country, but from 2000 to 2007 most patients diagnosed with HIV-2 infection had a West African origin, were predominantly female and were living in the capital, further south.