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Nikolopoulos GK, Kostaki EG, Paraskevis D. Overview of HIV molecular epidemiology among people who inject drugs in Europe and Asia. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2016; 46:256-268. [PMID: 27287560 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2016.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/05/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
HIV strains continuously evolve, tend to recombine, and new circulating variants are being discovered. Novel strains complicate efforts to develop a vaccine against HIV and may exhibit higher transmission efficiency and virulence, and elevated resistance to antiretroviral agents. The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) set an ambitious goal to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030 through comprehensive strategies that include epidemiological input as the first step of the process. In this context, molecular epidemiology becomes invaluable as it captures trends in HIV evolution rates that shape epidemiological pictures across several geographical areas. This review briefly summarizes the molecular epidemiology of HIV among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Europe and Asia. Following high transmission rates of subtype G and CRF14_BG among PWID in Portugal and Spain, two European countries, Greece and Romania, experienced recent HIV outbreaks in PWID that consisted of multiple transmission clusters including subtypes B, A, F1, and recombinants CRF14_BG and CRF35_AD. The latter was first identified in Afghanistan. Russia, Ukraine, and other Former Soviet Union (FSU) states are still facing the devastating effects of epidemics in PWID produced by AFSU (also known as IDU-A), BFSU (known as IDU-B), and CRF03_AB. In Asia, CRF01_AE and subtype B (Western B and Thai B) travelled from PWID in Thailand to neighboring countries. Recombination hotspots in South China, Northern Myanmar, and Malaysia have been generating several intersubtype and inter-CRF recombinants (e.g. CRF07_BC, CRF08_BC, CRF33_01B etc.), increasing the complexity of HIV molecular patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios K Nikolopoulos
- Hellenic Centre for Diseases Control and Prevention, Amarousio, Greece; Hellenic Scientific Society for the Study of AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Transmission Reduction Intervention Project-Athens site, Athens, Greece.
| | - Evangelia-Georgia Kostaki
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Paraskevis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Paraskevis D, Paraschiv S, Sypsa V, Nikolopoulos G, Tsiara C, Magiorkinis G, Psichogiou M, Flampouris A, Mardarescu M, Niculescu I, Batan I, Malliori M, Otelea D, Hatzakis A. Enhanced HIV-1 surveillance using molecular epidemiology to study and monitor HIV-1 outbreaks among intravenous drug users (IDUs) in Athens and Bucharest. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2015; 35:109-21. [PMID: 26247720 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2015.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2015] [Revised: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A significant increase in HIV-1 diagnoses was reported among Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) in the Athens (17-fold) and Bucharest (9-fold) metropolitan areas starting 2011. METHODS Molecular analyses were conducted on HIV-1 sequences from IDUs comprising 51% and 20% of the diagnosed cases among IDUs during 2011-2013 for Greece and Romania, respectively. Phylodynamic analyses were performed using the newly developed birth-death serial skyline model which allows estimating of important epidemiological parameters, as implemented in BEAST programme. RESULTS Most infections (>90%) occurred within four and three IDU local transmission networks in Athens and Bucharest, respectively. For all Romanian clusters, the viral strains originated from local circulating strains, whereas in Athens, the local strains seeded only two of the four sub-outbreaks. Birth-death skyline plots suggest a more explosive nature for sub-outbreaks in Bucharest than in Athens. In Athens, two sub-outbreaks had been controlled (Re<1.0) by 2013 and two appeared to be endemic (Re∼1). In Bucharest one outbreak continued to expand (Re>1.0) and two had been controlled (Re<1.0). The lead times were shorter for the outbreak in Athens than in Bucharest. CONCLUSIONS Enhanced molecular surveillance proved useful to gain information about the origin, causal pathways, dispersal patterns and transmission dynamics of the outbreaks that can be useful in a public health setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Paraskevis
- National Retrovirus Reference Center, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
| | - Simona Paraschiv
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Vana Sypsa
- National Retrovirus Reference Center, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Chryssa Tsiara
- Hellenic Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece
| | - Gkikas Magiorkinis
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK; Virus Reference Department, Colindale, Public Health England, UK
| | | | - Andreas Flampouris
- National Retrovirus Reference Center, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Mariana Mardarescu
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Iulia Niculescu
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Ionelia Batan
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Meni Malliori
- Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dan Otelea
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Angelos Hatzakis
- National Retrovirus Reference Center, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Kazennova E, Laga V, Lapovok I, Glushchenko N, Neshumaev D, Vasilyev A, Bobkova M. HIV-1 genetic variants in the Russian Far East. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2014; 30:742-52. [PMID: 24773167 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2013.0194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A molecular analysis of HIV-1 subtypes and recombinants circulating in cities in the Russian Far East was performed. The study included samples from 201 outpatients from Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, and Blagoveshchensk. In most parts of Russia, patients are infected with HIV-1 subtype A, known as the IDU-A variant. Subtype B, including the IDU-B variant, is rare in Russia but widespread in the Ukraine, and the CRF02_AG is prevalent in Central Asian countries and Siberia, Russia. One of the challenges of this study in the Far East was to determine whether the molecular landscape of HIV infection in this region is influenced by the bordering countries, including China and Japan, where a distinct set of HIV subtypes is circulating, such as B', C, and CRF01_AE. The distribution of HIV-1 genetic variants in the cities studied was as follows: subtype A (IDU-A), 55.7%; subtype B, 25.3% (IDU-B variant-24.3%); subtype C, 10.0%; CRF02_AG, 1.5%; and CRF63_02A1, 7.5%. A phylogenetic analysis confirmed the relationship of subtype A viruses with the IDU-A variant predominating in Ukraine, Russia and other former Soviet Union (FSU) countries, of subtype B viruses with IDU-B in the Ukraine and of CRF02_AG variants with variants in Uzbekistan, Russia, and other former USSR countries. Subtype C sequences were not uniform, and most clustered between each other and HIV-1 sequences originating from Africa; there was only one sample possibly related to Chinese variants. Thus, despite close cultural and commercial relationships among Russia, China, and Japan, the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in the Russian Far East is still primarily influenced by contacts with the countries of the former USSR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vita Laga
- Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Moscow, Russia
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Parczewski M, Urbanska A, Grzeszczuk A, Maciejewska K, Witak-Jedra M, Leszczyszyn-Pynka M. Phylogeographic analysis on the travel-related introduction of HIV-1 non-B subtypes to Northern Poland. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2014; 27:121-30. [PMID: 25038296 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2014.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2014] [Revised: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phylodynamic, sequence data based reconstructions for the surveillance of the geographic spatial spread are a powerful tool in molecular epidemiology. In this study region of origin for the set of 57 partial pol sequences derived from the patients the history of travel-related HIV transmission was analyzed using phylogeographic approach. Maximum likelihood trees based on the sets of country-annotated reference sequences were inferred for identified non-B variants. Region of sequence import was assigned using on the highest approximate likelihood ratios. Import of the A1 clades was traced to the Eastern Europe and associated with immigration from this region. Subtype C infections clustered most frequently with sequences of the South African origin while majority of subtype Ds were similar to the European clades. Subtype G sequences clustered with Portuguese lineage, CRF01_AE with Eastern or South-Eastern Asian. Eastern European, Middle African or Western African lineage was assigned for the CFR02_AG. Rare circulating recombinants originated either from Central Africa (CRF11_cpx - Democratic Republic of Congo, CRF13_cpx - Central African Republic, CRF37_cpx - Cameroon) or South America (CRF28_BF and CRF46_BF - Brazil). Import of the HIV-1 non-B variants, including recombinant forms previously rarely found in Poland and Europe is frequent among travelers. Observed founder events result in the heterosexually-driven introduction of the novel HIV-1 variants into the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milosz Parczewski
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
| | - Anna Urbanska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Anna Grzeszczuk
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Maciejewska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
| | - Magdalena Witak-Jedra
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland
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Caplinskas S, Loukachov VV, Gasich EL, Gilyazova AV, Caplinskiene I, Lukashov VV. Distinct HIV type 1 strains in different risk groups and the absence of new infections by drug-resistant strains in Lithuania. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2013. [PMID: 23186249 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2012.0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
To analyze HIV-1 genotypes in Lithuania and the transmission of drug-resistant viruses, HIV-1 sequences were obtained from 138 individuals, who were diagnosed as HIV-1 infected in 1990-2008 and represented all major risk groups. Subtype A strains, dominating in the former Soviet Union (90% of cases), were found in 60% of individuals, followed by subtype B (22%) and CRF03_AB (12%) strains. The remaining 7% of the strains included variants belonging to subtype C, CRF01_AE, CRF02_AG, more complex recombinant forms, and strains that could not be reliably genotyped. Analysis of virus genotypes per risk group revealed the circulation of distinct HIV-1 strains in different risk groups: subtype A viruses were present in 82% of injecting drug users (IDUs), but less than a half of heterosexually infected individuals and cases with unknown transmission route, and none of men having sex with men (MSM). We observed no mutations causing drug resistance among 27 newly diagnosed HIV-1 cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saulius Caplinskas
- Centre for Communicable Diseases and AIDS and Faculty of Social Policy, University of Mykolas Romeris, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vladimir V. Loukachov
- Faculties of Science and Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elena L. Gasich
- Department of Clinical Virology, Republican Research Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Alla V. Gilyazova
- Laboratory of Immunochemistry, D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Irma Caplinskiene
- Centre for Communicable Diseases and AIDS and Faculty of Social Policy, University of Mykolas Romeris, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Vladimir V. Lukashov
- Laboratory of Immunochemistry, D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Moscow, Russia
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Transmission of risk-group specific HIV-1 strains among Dutch drug users for more than 20 years and their replacement by nonspecific strains after switching to low-harm drug practices. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2013; 62:234-8. [PMID: 23117501 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e318279734d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To characterize HIV-1 epidemiological networks of men having sex with men (MSM) and drug users (DUs) in the Netherlands for >30 years. DESIGN AND METHODS Previously, we demonstrated different origin of the HIV-1 epidemics in Dutch MSM and DUs. To achieve the study objectives, risk group-specific genetic markers in the pol gene were examined in 315 participants of the Amsterdam Cohort Studies on HIV/AIDS who were registered as HIV-1 infected in 1981-2011. RESULTS Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated circulation of distinct virus strains in the 2 networks, with 98% of viruses of MSM clustering together and apart from strains of 73% DUs. Nine genetic markers that significantly distinguished virus strains specific for DUs were identified, of which 3 were ≥90% conserved. Over the total observation period, only 6% of viruses (4 of MSM and 14 of DUs) clustered with those of the other risk group. Among these sequences, the 3 most conserved genetic markers of that other risk group were 87% conserved.All 4 cases of DU-specific viruses among MSM occurred in 1980s-early 1990s. Viruses nonspecific for DUs were causing new infections among DUs at the rate of 20% till 2002 and replaced DU-specific strains among new infections thereafter, coinciding with switching of DUs to low-harm drug practices. CONCLUSIONS Dutch MSM and DUs have remained separate epidemiological networks for decades, despite their geographical and behavioral overlap. Switching to low-harm drug practices among DUs resulted in new infections caused by HIV-1 strains originating from other risk groups.
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Paraschiv S, Otelea D, Batan I, Baicus C, Magiorkinis G, Paraskevis D. Molecular typing of the recently expanding subtype B HIV-1 epidemic in Romania: evidence for local spread among MSMs in Bucharest area. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2012; 12:1052-7. [PMID: 22430050 PMCID: PMC3778987 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2012.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2011] [Revised: 02/21/2012] [Accepted: 03/04/2012] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
HIV-1 subtype B is predominant in Europe except in some countries from Eastern Europe which are characterized by a high prevalence of non-B subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). Romania is a particular case: the HIV-1 epidemic started with subtype F1 which is still the most prevalent. Previous studies have shown an increasing prevalence of subtype B which is the second most frequent one among the newly diagnosed individuals, followed by subtype C and several CRFs as well as unique recombinant forms (URFs). Our objective was to analyze in detail the characteristics (way of dispersal, association with transmission risk groups) of the subtype B infections in Romania by means of phylogenetic analysis. Among all the individuals sampled during 2003-2010, 71 out of 1127 patients (6.3%) have been identified to be infected with subtype B strains. The most frequent route of infection identified in HIV-1 subtype B patients in Romania was MSM transmission (39.6%), followed by the heterosexual route (35.2%). Many of the patients acquired the infection abroad, mainly in Western European countries. Phylogenetic analysis indicated the existence of a local transmission network (monophyletic clade) including 14 patients, mainly MSM living in the Bucharest area. We estimate the origin of the local transmission network that dates at the beginning of the 90s; the introduction of the F1 and C subtypes occurred earlier. The rest of the sequences were intermixed with reference strains sampled across Europe suggesting that single infection were not followed by subsequent dispersal within the local population. Although HIV-1 subtype B epidemic in Romania is recent, there is evidence for local spread among the MSMs, in addition to multiple introductions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Paraschiv
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Prof. Dr. Matei Bals National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Str. Calistrat Grozovici, Nr. 1, Sector 2, 021105 Bucharest, Romania
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Eremin VF, Gasich EL, Sasinovich SV. A new unique recombinant HIV type 1 isolated from a child born to an HIV-infected mother. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2011; 27:1323-6. [PMID: 21534848 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2011.0112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The new HIV-1 recombinant, with a B(gag) A(pol)A(env) structure, is described. This recombinant virus differs from the classical "Kaliningrad" (AF193276.1) virus with an A(gag) B(pol)B(env) structure. The number of new HIV cases in Belarus has been increasing in the past few years. Within the 12 months of 2010, 1069 new cases of HIV infection were registered. Molecular epidemiological investigations have shown that though HIV-1 subtype A (84.5%) still dominates in HIV/AIDS patients, the quantity of CRFs has also increased to 7.1%. Although cases with the CRF03_AB virus were previously described in patients from Belarus, CRF06_cpx and CRF02_AG are described in Belarus for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir F. Eremin
- Department of Clinical Virology, Republican Research Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Elena L. Gasich
- Department of Clinical Virology, Republican Research Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Minsk, Belarus
| | - Sviataslau V. Sasinovich
- Department of Clinical Virology, Republican Research Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Minsk, Belarus
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review attempts to acquaint the reader with the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 and to describe some of the more promising approaches to vaccine development in the light of this diversity. RECENT FINDINGS The primary genetic forms of HIV-1 in the world today are subtypes A, B, C, CRF01-AE and CRF02-AG. In sub-Saharan Africa, subtypes A and C and CRF02-AG account for most of the infections. In Asia, there are subtypes B, C and CRF01 AE. Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean are dominated by subtype B, and subtype A is in the former Soviet Union. While the genetic diversity of HIV-1 in the world can seem daunting, the vast majority of infections are actually caused by one of these five genetic forms. Approaches to dealing with this in the development of vaccines include targeting conserved regions of the genome, creating ancestral forms of the virus or putting many different forms together into a cocktail. Each of these approaches shows promise. To optimize the chances of initially showing efficacy in HIV vaccine trials, the genetic form of the vaccine strains will resemble those of the circulating strains in the target population. Once efficacy is demonstrated, however, it will be possible to determine whether genetic subtype is at all predictive of vaccine protection. SUMMARY Although the genetic diversity of HIV-1 is impressive, it is not limitless. Most of the infections worldwide are actually due to a handful of strains. It should be possible for a few vaccine strategies to conquer HIV-1 definitively.
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Rumyantseva OA, Olkhovskiy IA, Malysheva MA, Ruzaeva LA, Vasiliev AV, Kazennova EV, Bobkova MR, Lukashov VV. Epidemiological networks and drug resistance of HIV type 1 in Krasnoyarsk region, Russia. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2009; 25:931-6. [PMID: 19689192 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2009.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To study the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in Krasnoyarsk region, Russia, where HIV-1 has spread rapidly since 2000, we obtained pol sequences from individuals living in this region (n = 67) as well as in the geographically closely related Altay region (n = 13). In both regions, subtype A viruses specific for the former Soviet Union (IDU-A strains) were dominant (92.5%). Virus sequences clustered according to the geographic origin of the infected individuals rather than to their risk group, demonstrating the role of geographically defined epidemiological networks in the propagation of the HIV-1 epidemic in the region. Six viruses belonged to subtype B. Three of them were phylogenetically (and therefore epidemiologically) closely related to each other, demonstrating that even though IDU-A viruses dominate the epidemic, the spread of other virus strains does occur. Most viruses (75%) had an A62V mutation in reverse transcriptase, specific for HIV-1 strains in Russia. Remarkably, 26 of 47 (55%) patients under HAART with detectable virus loads did not have any known drug-resistant mutation, indicating the need to increase compliance to therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga A. Rumyantseva
- Krasnoyarsk Regional AIDS Center, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
- D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Vladimir V. Lukashov
- D.I. Ivanovsky Institute of Virology, Moscow, Russia
- Laboratory of Experimental Virology, Department of Medical Microbiology, Center for Infection and Immunity Amsterdam (CINIMA), Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in St Petersburg, Russia: predominance of subtype A, former Soviet Union variant, and identification of intrasubtype subclusters. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2009; 51:332-9. [PMID: 19363451 DOI: 10.1097/qai.0b013e31819c1757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To examine HIV-1 genetic diversity in St. Petersburg. METHODS Partial HIV-1 pol sequences from 102 plasma samples collected in 2006 were analyzed with a Bayesian phylogeny inference method. RESULTS Subtype A, former Soviet Union (FSU) variant (AFSU), was the predominant clade (89.3%); other clades were subtypes B (9.7%) and F1 (1%). AFSU was predominant both among injecting drug users (98.2%) and heterosexually infected individuals (91.4%), whereas subtype B was more prevalent among homosexual men (75%). Within the AFSU variant, most sequences (93.5%) branched within 1 of 4 strongly supported subclusters. The largest comprised 63% AFSU viruses and was uncommon outside St Petersburg. A second subcluster (17.4% AFSU viruses) corresponds to the variant with the V77I substitution in protease, which is widely circulating in different FSU countries. Two minor subclusters comprised 8.7% and 6.5% AFSU viruses, respectively. There was no correlation between risk exposure and AFSU subclusters. Six of 8 subtype B sequences, 4 of them from homosexual men, grouped in a monophyletic subcluster. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study show a great predominance of AFSU viruses in St Petersburg and point to a few phylogenetically identifiable introductions as the origin of most current HIV-1 AFSU infections in the city.
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Linka M, Brůčková M, Malý M, Vandasová J, Staňková M, Reiniš M. A Study of HIV-1 Genetic Diversity in the Czech Republic: 1986-2007. Cent Eur J Public Health 2008; 16:175-7. [DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Ding N, Guo D, Zhang C. Reidentification of the recombination map of CRF03_AB: evidence for a new additional mosaic a subtype segment. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2008; 24:1337-9. [PMID: 18844466 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2008.0112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Na Ding
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Dongmei Guo
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
| | - Chiyu Zhang
- Institute of Life Sciences, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212013, China
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Salemi M, Goodenow MM, Montieri S, de Oliveira T, Santoro MM, Beshkov D, Alexiev I, Elenkov I, Elenkov I, Yakimova T, Varleva T, Rezza G, Ciccozzi M. The HIV type 1 epidemic in Bulgaria involves multiple subtypes and is sustained by continuous viral inflow from West and East European countries. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2008; 24:771-9. [PMID: 18544022 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2007.0181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the HIV-1 epidemic in Balkan countries. To fill the gap, we investigated the viral genetic diversity in Bulgaria, by sequencing and phylogenetic characterization of 86 plasma samples collected between 2002 and 2006 from seropositive individuals diagnosed within 1986-2006. Analysis of pol gene sequences assigned 51% of the samples to HIV-1 subtype B and 27% to subtype A1. HIV-1 subtype C, F, G, H, and a few putative recombinant forms were also found. Phylogenetic and molecular clock analysis showed a continuous exchange of subtype A and B between Bulgaria and Western as well as other Eastern European countries. At least three separate introductions of HIV-1 subtype A and four of HIV-1 subtype B have occurred within the past 25 years in Bulgaria. The central geographic location of Bulgaria, the substantial genetic heterogeneity of the epidemic with multiple subtypes, and the significant viral flow observed to and from the Balkan countries have the potential to modify the current HIV-1 epidemiological structure in Europe and highlight the importance of more extensive and continuous monitoring of the epidemic in the Balkans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Salemi
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - Maureen M. Goodenow
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610
| | - Stefania Montieri
- Epidemiology Unit, Department of Infectious Parasitic and Immunomediate Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Tulio de Oliveira
- MRC Bioinformatics Unit, South African National Bioinformatics Institute, University of Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Danail Beshkov
- National HIV Confirmatory Laboratory—National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Ivailo Alexiev
- National HIV Confirmatory Laboratory—National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | | | - Ivan Elenkov
- Faculty of Biology, University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tsvetana Yakimova
- Ministry of Health, Program of “Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS,” Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Tonka Varleva
- Ministry of Health, Program of “Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS,” Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Giovanni Rezza
- Epidemiology Unit, Department of Infectious Parasitic and Immunomediate Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Ciccozzi
- Epidemiology Unit, Department of Infectious Parasitic and Immunomediate Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Salemi M, de Oliveira T, Ciccozzi M, Rezza G, Goodenow MM. High-resolution molecular epidemiology and evolutionary history of HIV-1 subtypes in Albania. PLoS One 2008; 3:e1390. [PMID: 18167549 PMCID: PMC2148102 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2007] [Accepted: 12/07/2007] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background HIV-1 epidemic in Western Europe is largely due to subtype B. Little is known about the HIV-1 in Eastern Europe, but a few studies have shown that non-B subtypes are quite common. In Albania, where a recent study estimated a ten-fold increase of AIDS incidence during the last six years, subtype A and B account for 90% of the know infections. Methodology/Principal Findings We investigated the demographic history of HIV-1 subtype A and B in Albania by using a statistical framework based on coalescent theory and phylogeography. High-resolution phylogenetic and molecular clock analysis showed a limited introduction to the Balkan country of subtype A during the late 1980s followed by an epidemic outburst in the early 1990s. In contrast, subtype B was apparently introduced multiple times between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s. Both subtypes are growing exponentially, although the HIV-1A epidemic displays a faster growth rate, and a significantly higher basic reproductive number R0. HIV-1A gene flow occurs primarily from the capital Tirane, in the center of the country, to the periphery, while HIV-1B flow is characterized by a balanced exchange between center and periphery. Finally, we calculated that the actual number of infections in Albania is at least two orders of magnitude higher than previously thought. Conclusions/Significance Our analysis demonstrates the power of recently developed computational tools to investigate molecular epidemiology of pathogens, and emphasize the complex factors involved in the establishment of HIV-1 epidemics. We suggest that a significant correlation exists between HIV-1 exponential spread and the socio-political changes occurred during the Balkan wars. The fast growth of a relatively new non-B epidemic in the Balkans may have significant consequences for the evolution of HIV-1 epidemiology in neighboring countries in Eastern and Western Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Salemi
- Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
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Maljkovic Berry I, Ribeiro R, Kothari M, Athreya G, Daniels M, Lee HY, Bruno W, Leitner T. Unequal evolutionary rates in the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) pandemic: the evolutionary rate of HIV-1 slows down when the epidemic rate increases. J Virol 2007; 81:10625-35. [PMID: 17634235 PMCID: PMC2045441 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00985-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 sequences in intravenous drug user (IDU) networks are highly homogenous even after several years, while this is not observed in most sexual epidemics. To address this disparity, we examined the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) evolutionary rate on the population level for IDU and heterosexual transmissions. All available HIV-1 env V3 sequences from IDU outbreaks and heterosexual epidemics with known sampling dates were collected from the Los Alamos HIV sequence database. Evolutionary rates were calculated using phylogenetic trees with a t test root optimization of dated samples. The evolutionary rate of HIV-1 subtype A1 was found to be 8.4 times lower in fast spread among IDUs in the former Soviet Union (FSU) than in slow spread among heterosexual individuals in Africa. Mixed epidemics (IDU and heterosexual) showed intermediate evolutionary rates, indicating a combination of fast- and slow-spread patterns. Hence, if transmissions occur repeatedly during the initial stage of host infection, before selective pressures of the immune system have much impact, the rate of HIV-1 evolution on the population level will decrease. Conversely, in slow spread, where HIV-1 evolves under the pressure of the immune system before a donor infects a recipient, the virus evolution at the population level will increase. Epidemiological modeling confirmed that the evolutionary rate of HIV-1 depends on the rate of spread and predicted that the HIV-1 evolutionary rate in a fast-spreading epidemic, e.g., for IDUs in the FSU, will increase as the population becomes saturated with infections and the virus starts to spread to other risk groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Maljkovic Berry
- Department of Virology, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Solna, Sweden.
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Murashev B, Kazennova E, Kozlov A, Murasheva I, Dukhovlinova E, Galachyants Y, Dorofeeva E, Dukhovlinov I, Smirnova G, Masharsky A, Klimov N, Kozlov AP. Immunogenicity of candidate DNA vaccine based on subtype A of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 predominant in Russia. Biotechnol J 2007; 2:871-8. [PMID: 17582822 DOI: 10.1002/biot.200700024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 subtype A strains circulating among the majority of HIVinfected individuals in the former Soviet Union (FSU) countries demonstrate low genetic diversity. The consensus sequence of the FSU region-specific isolate has been used for the candidate DNA vaccine development. We constructed recombinant plasmids with four viral genes: env (gp140), gag, pol (reverse transcriptase), and nef. We immunized BALB/c mice intramuscularly using equimolar mixture of four recombinant plasmids, and observed significant cytotoxic T lymphocyte response and specific CD8(+) cell production against cells presenting HIV-1 peptides. Overall, the Th1 pathway of immune response clearly dominated. Immunological properties of this candidate DNA vaccine against HIV-1 suggest the possibility of its further study in clinical trials.
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