title: Detection of HIV type 1 non-B subtypes in Sicily, Italy.
abstract: To evaluate the presence of HIV-1 non-B subtypes in Sicily, we sequenced and genotyped HIV-1 PR and RT regions of the pol gene using plasma from 169 HIV-1-infected adult patients. All samples were obtained from a study of antiretroviral-associated resistance mutations resulting in virological failure during highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Eight (4.7%) patients had the non-B HIV-1 subtype including some circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). All of these individuals acquired the infection by heterosexual transmission. The detection of HIV-1 non-B strains was significantly associated with younger age of HIV-1 acquisition. Our findings indicate, for the first time, the presence of HIV-1 non-B subtypes in Sicily in patients who experienced virological failure during HAART, and highlight the need for implementing a network for the epidemiological surveillance of HIV-1 subtypes in Southern Europe.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Riferimento Regionale per la Diagnosi Sierologica e Virologica dell'AIDS, Dipartimento di Igiene e Microbiologia, Università degli Studi di Palermo, I-90127 Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tramuto
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vitale
authors.forename: Filippa
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonura
authors.forename: Nino
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Romano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015751:Genes, pol; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral