Wide variation in the multiplicity of HIV-1 infection among injection drug users.
Recent studies indicate that sexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) generally results from productive infection by only one virus, a finding attributable to the mucosal barrier. Surprisingly, a recent study of injection drug users (IDUs) from St. Petersburg, Russia, also found most subjects to be acutely infected by a single virus. Here, we show by single-genome amplification and sequencing in a different IDU cohort that 60% of IDU subjects were infected by more than one virus, including one subject who was acutely infected by at least 16 viruses. Multivariant transmission was more common in IDUs than in heterosexuals (60% versus 19%; odds ratio, 6.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37 to 31.27; P = 0.008). These findings highlight the diversity in HIV-1 infection risks among different IDU cohorts and the challenges faced by vaccines in protecting against this mode of infection.
Bar
Katharine J
KJ
University of Alabama at Birmingham, 720 South 20th Street, 816 KAUL Building, Birmingham, AL 35294-0024, USA.
Li
Hui
H
Chamberland
Annie
A
Tremblay
Cecile
C
Routy
Jean Pierre
JP
Grayson
Truman
T
Sun
Chuanxi
C
Wang
Shuyi
S
Learn
Gerald H
GH
Morgan
Charity J
CJ
Schumacher
Joseph E
JE
Haynes
Barton F
BF
Keele
Brandon F
BF
Hahn
Beatrice H
BH
Shaw
George M
GM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D015331:Cohort Studies; D055030:Drug Users / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160 / Q000235:genetics; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D055815:Young Adult
D019302:HIV Envelope Protein gp160