title: Intercontinental dispersal of HIV-1 subtype B associated with transmission among men who have sex with men in Japan.
abstract: Transmission clusters of HIV-1 subtype B uniquely associated with the epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) in East Asia have recently been identified. Using the Los Alamos HIV sequence database and the UK HIV drug resistance database, we explored possible links between HIV MSM epidemics in East Asia and the rest of the world by using phylogenetic and molecular clock analyses. We found that JP.MSM.B-1, a subtype B MSM variant that accounts for approximately one-third of the infections among Japanese MSM, was detected worldwide, in the United Kingdom (n=13), mainland China (n=3), the United States, Germany, Canada, and Taiwan (n=1 each). Interestingly, 10 United Kingdom samples plus two from Germany and the United States formed a distinct monophyletic subgroup within JP.MSM.B-1. The estimated divergence times of JP.MSM.B-1 and the latter subgroup were ∼1989 and ∼1999, respectively. These dates suggest that JP.MSM.B-1 was circulating for many years in Japan among MSM before disseminating to other countries, most likely through global MSM networks. A significant number of other Asian MSM HIV lineages were also detected in the UK HIV drug resistance database. Our study provides insight into the regional and global dispersal of Asian MSM HIV lineages. Further study of these strains is warranted to elucidate viral migration and the interrelationship of HIV epidemics on a global scale.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We previously identified several transmission clusters of HIV-1 subtype B uniquely associated with the epidemic among men who have sex with men (MSM) in East Asia. Using the Los Alamos HIV sequence database and the UK HIV drug resistance database, we explored the possible interplay of HIV MSM epidemics in the different geographic regions and found previously unrecognized interrelationships among the HIV-1 epidemics in East Asia, the United Kingdom, and the rest of the world. Our study provides insight into the regional and global dispersal of Asian MSM HIV lineages and highlights the importance of strengthening HIV monitoring efforts and the need for implementing effective control measures to reduce HIV transmission on a global scale.
authors.affiliation: AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan takebe@nih.go.jp.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takebe
authors.affiliation: Database Center for Life Science, Research Organization of Information and Systems, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jayna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raghwani
authors.affiliation: MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fearnhill
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbiology, Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.affiliation: AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusagawa
authors.affiliation: Virus Reference Department, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jean L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Mbisa
authors.affiliation: PHE Clinical Microbiology and Public Health Laboratory, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hongyi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: AIDS Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matano
authors.affiliation: Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Andrew J Leigh
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Oliver G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Pybus
authors.affiliation: MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.affiliation: Division of Microbiology, Kanagawa Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kondo
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D058873:Pandemics; D010802:Phylogeny