title: HIV-1 subtype distribution and its demographic determinants in newly diagnosed patients in Europe suggest highly compartmentalized epidemics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding HIV-1 subtype distribution and epidemiology can assist preventive measures and clinical decisions. Sequence variation may affect antiviral drug resistance development, disease progression, evolutionary rates and transmission routes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We investigated the subtype distribution of HIV-1 in Europe and Israel in a representative sample of patients diagnosed between 2002 and 2005 and related it to the demographic data available. 2793 PRO-RT sequences were subtyped either with the REGA Subtyping tool or by a manual procedure that included phylogenetic tree and recombination analysis. The most prevalent subtypes/CRFs in our dataset were subtype B (66.1%), followed by sub-subtype A1 (6.9%), subtype C (6.8%) and CRF02_AG (4.7%). Substantial differences in the proportion of new diagnoses with distinct subtypes were found between European countries: the lowest proportion of subtype B was found in Israel (27.9%) and Portugal (39.2%), while the highest was observed in Poland (96.2%) and Slovenia (93.6%). Other subtypes were significantly more diagnosed in immigrant populations. Subtype B was significantly more diagnosed in men than in women and in MSM > IDUs > heterosexuals. Furthermore, the subtype distribution according to continent of origin of the patients suggests they acquired their infection there or in Europe from compatriots.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The association of subtype with demographic parameters suggests highly compartmentalized epidemics, determined by social and behavioural characteristics of the patients.
authors: Unidade de Saúde Pública Internacional e Bioestatística, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. ana.abecasis@gmail.com
authors: Ana B
authors: AB
authors: Abecasis
authors: Annemarie M J
authors: AM
authors: Wensing
authors: Dimitris
authors: D
authors: Paraskevis
authors: Jurgen
authors: J
authors: Vercauteren
authors: Kristof
authors: K
authors: Theys
authors: David A M C
authors: DA
authors: Van de Vijver
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Albert
authors: Birgitta
authors: B
authors: Asjö
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Balotta
authors: Danail
authors: D
authors: Beshkov
authors: Ricardo J
authors: RJ
authors: Camacho
authors: Bonaventura
authors: B
authors: Clotet
authors: Cillian
authors: C
authors: De Gascun
authors: Algis
authors: A
authors: Griskevicius
authors: Zehava
authors: Z
authors: Grossman
authors: Osamah
authors: O
authors: Hamouda
authors: Andrzej
authors: A
authors: Horban
authors: Tatjana
authors: T
authors: Kolupajeva
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Korn
authors: Leon G
authors: LG
authors: Kostrikis
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Kücherer
authors: Kirsi
authors: K
authors: Liitsola
authors: Marek
authors: M
authors: Linka
authors: Claus
authors: C
authors: Nielsen
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Otelea
authors: Roger
authors: R
authors: Paredes
authors: Mario
authors: M
authors: Poljak
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Puchhammer-Stöckl
authors: Jean-Claude
authors: JC
authors: Schmit
authors: Anders
authors: A
authors: Sönnerborg
authors: Danika
authors: D
authors: Stanekova
authors: Maja
authors: M
authors: Stanojevic
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Struck
authors: Charles A B
authors: CA
authors: Boucher
authors: Anne-Mieke
authors: AM
authors: Vandamme
mesh_terms: D001499:Bayes Theorem; D058872:Epidemics; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012919:Social Behavior; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors