title: Maintaining low HIV type 1 env genetic diversity among injection drug users infected with a B/C recombinant and CRF01_AE HIV type 1 in southern China.
abstract: HIV-1 outbreaks in Guangxi Province, southern China were initiated from two separate border cities in 1996 and 1997. Drug users in Pingxiang City, which borders Vietnam, were infected with CRF01_AE HIV-1, and drug users in Baise City, which borders Yunan Province, were infected with a novel B/C recombinant HIV-1. Since 1997, HIV-1 has been rapidly spreading in Guangxi, including its capital city Nanning. Survey data indicated that HIV-1 prevalence among IDUs in new outbreak regions increased 8 to 42% within 1 year. The B/C recombinants obtained from five separate regions in Guangxi, which span a 4-year time frame, were remarkable for their low intersubject env V3 diversity, less than 0.2%. Similarly, the CRF01_AE from IDUs over a 3-year time frame had low intersubject env V3 diversity of less than 1.6%. Different patterns of sequence variations in the V3 and V4 regions were observed for the B/C recombinant and the CRF01_AE HIV1. The rapid spreading of homogeneous HIV-1 strains in Guangxi may have important implications for HIV transmission as well as vaccine development and evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA. xfyu@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Xiao-Fang
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Bindong
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Qiuying
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Fuxiong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Francine
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McCutchan
authors.forename: Sucheep
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Piyasirisilp
authors.forename: Shenghan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lai
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120 / Q000235:genetics*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D015699:HIV Envelope Protein gp120; C059762:HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321); D010446:Peptide Fragments