title: Short Communication: HIV-1 Transmission Networks Across South Korea.
abstract: Molecular epidemiology can help clarify the properties and dynamics of HIV-1 transmission networks in both global and regional scales. We studied 143 HIV-1-infected individuals recruited from four medical centers of three cities in South Korea between April 2013 and May 2014. HIV-1 env V3 sequence data were generated (337-793 bp) and analyzed using a pairwise distance-based clustering approach to infer putative transmission networks. Participants whose viruses were ≤2.0% divergent according to Tamura-Nei 93 genetic distance were defined as clustering. We collected demographic, risk, and clinical data and analyzed these data in relation to clustering. Among 143 participants, we identified nine putative transmission clusters of different sizes (range 2-4 participants). The reported risk factor of participants were concordant in only one network involving two participants, that is, both individuals reported homosexual sex as their risk factor. The participants in the other eight networks did not report concordant risk factors, although they were phylogenetically linked. About half of the participants refused to report their risk factor. Overall, molecular epidemiology provides more information to understand local transmission networks and the risks associated with these networks.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Mi Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medicine, University of California , San Diego, La Jolla, California.
authors.forename: Joel O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Wertheim
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Woo Joo
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 4 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University , Daegu, South Korea .
authors.forename: Shin-Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine , Incheon, South Korea .
authors.forename: Jin Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Hea Won
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Ann
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Yongduk
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Jin Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Je Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Dong Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Yong Chan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Eun Jin
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: In Young
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Moo Hyun
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Wooyoung
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Su Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .|6 AIDS Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Nam Su
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .|6 AIDS Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: June Myung
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Medicine, University of California , San Diego, La Jolla, California.
authors.forename: Davey M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .|6 AIDS Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine , Seoul, South Korea .
authors.forename: Jun Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious; D005260:Female; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HIV transmission network; HIV-1 env V3 sequence; South Korea