title: Simplified strategy for detection of recombinant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 group M isolates by gag/env heteroduplex mobility assay. Study Group on Heterogeneity of HIV Epidemics in African Cities.
abstract: We developed a heteroduplex mobility assay in the gag gene (gag HMA) for the identification of group M subtypes A to H. The assay covers the region coding for amino acid 132 of p24 to amino acid 20 of p7 (according to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [HIV-1] ELI, 460 bp). The gag HMA was compared with sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of an evaluation panel of 79 HIV-1 group M isolates isolated from infected individuals from different geographic regions. Application of gag HMA in combination with env HMA on 252 HIV-1- positive plasma samples from Bénin, Cameroon, Kenya, and Zambia revealed a high prevalence of a variety of intersubtype recombinants in Yaoundé, Cameroon (53.8%); Kisumu, Kenya (26.8%); and Cotonou, Bénin (41%); no recombinants were identified among the samples from Ndola, Zambia. The AG(IbNG) circulating recombinant form, as determined by gag HMA, was found to be the most common intersubtype recombinant in Yaoundé (39.4%) and Cotonou (38.5%). Using a one-tube reverse transcriptase PCR protocol, this gag HMA in combination with env HMA is a useful tool for rapidly monitoring the prevalence of the various genetic subtypes as well as of recombinants of HIV-1. Moreover, this technology can easily be applied in laboratories in developing countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heyndrickx
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Janssens
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zekeng
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Musonda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anagonou
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van der Auwera
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coppens
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vereecken
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: De Witte
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van Rampelbergh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kahindo
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morison
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: McCutchan
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essex
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goudsmit
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Asjö
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salminen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buvé
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: van Der Groen
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D015752:Genes, env; D015750:Genes, gag; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes; D010802:Phylogeny; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D009692:Nucleic Acid Heteroduplexes