A HIV-1 heterosexual transmission chain in Guangzhou, China: a molecular epidemiological study.
BACKGROUND
We conducted molecular analyses to confirm four clustering HIV-1 infections (Patient A, B, C & D) in Guangzhou, China. These cases were identified by epidemiological investigation and suspected to acquire the infection through a common heterosexual transmission chain.


METHODS
Env C2V3V4 region, gag p17/p24 junction and partial pol gene of HIV-1 genome from serum specimens of these infected cases were amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nucleotide sequenced.


RESULTS
Phylogenetic analyses indicated that their viral nucleotide sequences were significantly clustered together (bootstrap value is 99%, 98% and 100% in env, gag and pol tree respectively). Evolutionary distance analysis indicated that their genetic diversities of env, gag and pol genes were significantly lower than non-clustered controls, as measured by unpaired t-test (env gene comparison: p < 0.005; gag gene comparison: p < 0.005; pol gene comparison: p < 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Epidemiological results and molecular analyses consistently illustrated these four cases represented a transmission chain which dispersed in the locality through heterosexual contact involving commercial sex worker.
Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangdong, PR China. zhiganghan616@163.com
Zhigang
Z
Han
Tommy W C
TW
Leung
Jinkou
J
Zhao
Ming
M
Wang
Lirui
L
Fan
Kai
K
Li
Xinli
X
Pang
Zhenbo
Z
Liang
Wilina W L
WW
Lim
Huifang
H
Xu
D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics
D012367:RNA, Viral; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D054302:pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus