title: HIV-1 genetic diversity and genotypic drug susceptibility in the Republic of Georgia.
abstract: The genetic diversity and genotypic drug susceptibility of HIV-1 strains circulating in the Republic of Georgia, formerly part of the Soviet Union, were investigated for first time. Forty-eight HIV-positive drug-naive Georgian individuals contributed PBMC DNA between 1998 and 2003. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses of partial pol sequences, the predominant HIV-1 genetic forms were subtype A (70%), followed by subtype B (26%); both genetic forms were carried by injecting drug users and heterosexuals. There was also one subtype C (2%) and one CRF18_cpx (2%). The Georgian subtype A strains clustered with subtype A from Russia, designated A(FSU). Twelve of the subtype A strains (25%) contained the secondary protease inhibitor mutation V77I and 9 also had two other silent mutations. This "V77I haplotype" marks one particular genetic lineage of the epidemic in the former Soviet Union. Two strains (4%) carried antiretroviral (ARV) drug resistance mutations. Nearly full-length genome sequences of five Georgian strains were also completed. Two, 98GEMZ011 (subtype A) and 98GEMZ003 (subtype B), closely resembled the parental strains that recombined to create CRF03_AB. The use of these parental strains in the analysis revealed an additional segment of subtype A in CRF03_AB. Thus, the HIV-1 epidemic in Georgia was composed of a mixture of subtype A(FSU) and subtype B.
authors.affiliation: Georgian Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center, Tbilisi 38600, Georgia.
authors.forename: Maia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zarandia
authors.forename: Tengiz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsertsvadze
authors.forename: Jean K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Yuka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nadai
authors.forename: Jose L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: And Kenrad
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015751:Genes, pol; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D005846:Georgia (Republic) / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D016333:HIV Protease / Q000235:genetics; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications; D014586:USSR / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D016333:HIV Protease