HIV type 1 subtypes among blood donors in the Mbeya region of southwest Tanzania.
HIV-1 is endemic in Tanzania where three different subtypes, A, C, and D, have been identified. Information on HIV-1 genetic diversity is crucial to define requirements for an effective vaccine, in regions where HIV-1 vaccine trials are planned. To define the subtype distribution of HIV-1 in the Mbeya region of southwest Tanzania, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and plasma were obtained from 36 discarded HIV seropositive blood units. Multiregion hybridization assay (MHA) was performed on both PBMC DNA and plasma RNA to determine the subtype distribution. Twenty virtually full-length HIV-1 sequences were amplified from the extracted DNA, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed. Subtype distribution determined by all three assays was comparable. More than 50% of the samples analyzed were subtype C, followed by a high proportion of subtype C-containing intersubtype recombinants. Based on this work, subtype C appears to be the prevalent subtype in southwest Tanzania, followed by a high proportion of intersubtype recombinants.
U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP), Walter Reed Army Research Institute, Division of Retrovirology, Rockville, Maryland 20850, USA. marroyo@hivresearch.org
Miguel A
MA
Arroyo
Michael
M
Hoelscher
Eric
E
Sanders-Buell
Karl-Heinz
KH
Herbinger
Eleuter
E
Samky
Leonard
L
Maboko
Oliver
O
Hoffmann
Merlin R
MR
Robb
Deborah L
DL
Birx
Francine E
FE
McCutchan
D001782:Blood Donors; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D010949:Plasma; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013636:Tanzania
D004279:DNA, Viral