Women infected with HIV type 1 Brazilian variant, subtype B (B'-GWGR motif) have slower progression to AIDS, compared with patients infected with subtype B (B-GPGR motif).
BACKGROUND
The Brazilian variant of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1) subtype B (serotype B'-GWGR) has a tryptophan replacing a proline in position 328 of the HIV-1 envelope, a feature that may induce a different HIV disease progression. We aimed to evaluate the role of the B subtypes of HIV-1 (serotypes B-GPGR and B'-GWGR) on HIV disease progression.


METHODS
A total of 137 HIV-infected individuals who had been admitted to the hospital were tested with an anti-V3 serologic assay, using peptides representing 2 HIV-1 subtype B strains, MN and SF2, and 2 Brazilian variant B'-GWGR strains, BR1 and BR2.


RESULTS
Of 137 serum samples tested with the anti-V3 serologic assay, 4 (3%) yielded indeterminate results, 74 (54%; from 25 women and 49 men) were found to be B-GPGR, and 59 (43%; from 20 women and 39 men) were found to be the B'-GWGR variant. In general, a longer interval from the first known positive HIV test result to an AIDS-defining event was observed in the B'-GWGR group than in the B-GPGR group (21 vs. 7 months). The CD4+ T cell counts were higher in the B'-GWGR group (median CD4+ T cell count, 65 vs. 31 cells/mm3; P=.01), and women infected with the B'-GWGR variant were less likely to die than were men infected with the same variant (P=.01). The median viral load in the B'-GWGR group was 3.395 copies/mL, compared with 39.350 copies/mL in the B-GPGR group (P=.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Taken together, our results indicate that B'-GWGR-infected women may have more-favorable outcomes than B-GPGR-infected subjects.
de Brito
Adriana
A
Laboratory of Allergy and Clinical and Experimental Immunology, University of São Paulo Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil.
Komninakis
Shirley C V
SC
Novoa
Patrícia
P
de Oliveira
Rafael M
RM
Fonseca
Luiz Augusto M
LA
Duarte
Alberto J S
AJ
Casseb
Jorge
J
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019562:Viral Load