title: HIV diversity in Venezuela: predominance of HIV type 1 subtype B and genomic characterization of non-B variants.
abstract: The aim of this study was the analysis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) diversity in Venezuela, and the characterization of variants other than subtype B. A total of 425 HIV isolates, collected between 2003 and 2008, were analyzed. The sequence of at least one genomic region (Pol, Env, Vif, or Nef ) was available for all of them and at least two genomic regions were analyzed in 46% of them. From the 425 HIV isolates analyzed, 421 (99.1%) were classified as HIV-1 subtype B. The four non-subtype B isolates correspond to one subtype C, one recombinant AG, and two HIV-2 isolates. This study shows that HIV-1 subtype B is still highly predominant in Venezuela. Whereas some sporadic cases of other HIV types can be found, they do not seem to have disseminated to the present.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro de Microbiología y Biología Celular, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas, Venezuela .
authors.forename: Héctor R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.forename: Domingo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Garzaro
authors.forename: Cristina R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Luzmary
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vásquez
authors.forename: Genni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guillen
authors.forename: Jaime R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Flor H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Pujol