Genetic characterization of eight full-length HIV type 1 genomes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reveal a new subsubtype, A5, in the A radiation that predominates in the recombinant structure of CRF26_A5U.
In this study, we characterized HIV-1 strains from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), previously described as divergent subtype A (n = 1, 97CD.KMST91) or untypable (n = 7) in the V3-V5 env region. Four strains had the same structure over the entire genome, including alternating fragments of a new subsubtype, A5, within the subtype A radiation and fragments that remain unclassified. Therefore, the cluster of new viruses represents a new circulating recombinant, CRF26_A5U. Three additional strains were unique recombinants with the newly described CRF26_A5U and subtype C. Finally, the nearly full-length sequence of 97CD.KMST91 showed that this strain also consisted of alternating fragments of a divergent subtype A lineage and unclassified fragments, although different from previously reported A and U sequences. The high genetic distances among the different CRF26-A5U strains suggest their longstanding presence in the DRC.
Vidal
Nicole
N
UMR145, Institut de Recherches sur le Développement (IRD) and Université Montpellier 1, Montpellier, France .
Bazepeo
Samuel Edidi
SE
Mulanga
Claire
C
Delaporte
Eric
E
Peeters
Martine
M
D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
D004279:DNA, Viral; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus