title: Presence of diverse human immunodeficiency virus type 1 viral variants in Cameroon.
abstract: Phylogenetic analysis of the gp41 region of 123 HIV-1-seropositive specimens from Cameroon showed that 89 were subtype A (71% of these sequences were IbNg-like), 12 (10%) were subtype D, 11 (9%) were subtype G, 5 (4%; closely related to subtype F2) were subtype F, 1 was subtype H, 2 (1.6%) remained unclassifiable, while 3 were group O. Further analysis of the two unclassifiable specimens in gag(p24), pol(prot), and env (C2V3 or gp41) showed that one (98CM19) was a complex mosaic between subtype A in p24 and subtype J prot, and unclassifiable in env (C2V3 or gp41). The second, 98CM63, clustered distinctly from all known subtypes in p24, prot, C2V3, or gp41. 98CM63 clustered with a specimen from Cyprus and these two geographically and epidemiologically unlinked specimens, with their distinct clustering pattern, may represent a new subcluster of subtype A. In conclusion, these findings confirm the high HIV-1 genetic variability and further suggest the continuous appearance of new viral strains in this population.
authors.affiliation: HIV/AIDS and Retrovirology Branch, Division of AIDS, STD and TB Laboratory Research, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Fonjungo
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Mpoudi
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Torimiro
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Alemnji
authors.forename: L T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Eno
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Nkengasong
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rayfield
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Folks
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pieniazek
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lal
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D002163:Cameroon / Q000453:epidemiology; D015684:Gene Products, pol / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000235:genetics; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41 / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D015684:Gene Products, pol; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; D015700:HIV Envelope Protein gp41; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments