Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) diversity at time of infection is not restricted to certain risk groups or specific HIV-1 subtypes.
African women frequently acquire several genetically distinct human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants from a heterosexual partner, whereas the acquisition of multiple variants appears to be rare in men. To determine whether newly infected individuals in other risk groups acquire genetically diverse viruses, we examined the viral envelope sequences in plasma samples from 13 women and 4 men from the United States infected with subtype B viruses and 10 men from Kenya infected with non-subtype B viruses. HIV-1 envelope sequences differed by more than 2% in three U.S. women, one U.S. man, and one Kenyan man near the time of seroconversion. These findings suggest that early HIV-1 genetic diversity is not exclusive to women from Africa or to infection with any particular HIV-1 subtype.
Sagar
Manish
M
Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
Kirkegaard
Erin
E
Long
E Michelle
EM
Celum
Connie
C
Buchbinder
Susan
S
Daar
Eric S
ES
Overbaugh
Julie
J
D005260:Female; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D020180:Heteroduplex Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012307:Risk Factors; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014481:United States
D015686:Gene Products, env