Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in the former Soviet Union: analysis of env V3 sequences and their correlation with epidemiologic data.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the HIV-1 V3 sequence diversity in the former Soviet Union in 30 subjects infected with HIV-1 via different modes of transmission.


METHODS
A cohort of children infected after exposure to nonsterile needles during the epidemic in 1988-1989 in southern Russia (Elista, n = 12 and Rostov-on-Don, n = 10), and eight HIV-seropositive subjects from Belarus (Minsk), infected via sexual (n = 7) and parenteral (n = 1) infection.


METHODS
The HIV-1 V3 encoding region was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction on DNA of primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected from the study subjects and then cloned and sequenced.


RESULTS
The alignment of 127 V3 sequences from 22 patients in the cohort group demonstrated common consensus sequences in both the Elista and Rostov samples. The average means of interperson variation were 5.9 and 6.6% in Elista and Rostov subjects, respectively, and comparable to the mean intraperson variation. The average mean interperson variation between nucleotide sequences of HIV patients infected through sexual transmission was considerably higher (14.9%).


CONCLUSIONS
V3 sequence analysis confirms the epidemiologic data which support the transmission of HIV-1 in children from a single source, and suggests the infection of a mother from her parenterally infected child. Furthermore, the genetic variability of HIV-1 V3 in the noncohort group was particularly divergent indicating the heterogeneity of the virus circulating in the former Soviet Union.
Bobkov
A
A
Department of Molecular Virology, D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Academy of Medical Science, Moscow, Russia.
Garaev
M M
MM
Rzhaninova
A
A
Kaleebu
P
P
Pitman
R
R
Weber
J N
JN
Cheingsong-Popov
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000350:Africa, Central; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D015752:Genes, env; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000151:congenital / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007049:Iatrogenic Disease; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular / Q000009:adverse effects; D007275:Injections, Intravenous / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016485:Needle Sharing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014195:Travel; D014586:USSR / Q000453:epidemiology
D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments