title: HIV-1 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) in Northern Greece.
abstract: In order to understand the genetic diversity of virus isolates associated with the human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) epidemic in Northern Greece, 51 specimens from HIV-1 infected individuals were classified into subtypes by sequence-based phylogenetic analysis of the polymerase (pol) region of the viral genome. Forty two (82.3%) specimens were identified as pol subtype B, three (5.9%) as A, and one (2%) as CRF01_AE, while the remaining five (9.8%) specimens appeared to be complex recombinants, belonging to the Cypriot/Greek form CRF04_cpx. The proportion of CRF04_cpx strains is larger than previously reported, suggesting that the CRF04_cpx is significantly contributing to the Greek HIV-1 epidemic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, National AIDS Reference Laboratory of Northern Greece, School of Medicine, Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, 54006, Greece. annap@med.auth.gr
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papa
authors.forename: Evagelia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.forename: Androniki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papoutsi
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kiosses
authors.forename: Antonis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antoniadis
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015751:Genes, pol; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D011995:Recombination, Genetic