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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Detection of HIV type 1 non-B subtypes in Sicily, Italy.
Fabio TramutoF BonuraFrancesco VitaleNino Romanosubject
AdultMalePol genesYounger ageImmunologyMolecular Sequence DataHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)HIV Infectionsmedicine.disease_causeVirusVirologyAntiretroviral Therapy Highly ActiveDrug Resistance ViralmedicineHumansIn patientTreatment FailurebiologyAdult patientsvirus diseasesMiddle Agedbiology.organism_classificationAntiretroviral therapyVirologyGenes polInfectious DiseasesItalyLentivirusImmunologyMutationHIV-1RNA ViralFemaledescription
To evaluate the presence of HIV-1 non-B subtypes in Sicily, we sequenced and genotyped HIV-1 PR and RT regions of the pol gene using plasma from 169 HIV-1-infected adult patients. All samples were obtained from a study of antiretroviral-associated resistance mutations resulting in virological failure during highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Eight (4.7%) patients had the non-B HIV-1 subtype including some circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). All of these individuals acquired the infection by heterosexual transmission. The detection of HIV-1 non-B strains was significantly associated with younger age of HIV-1 acquisition. Our findings indicate, for the first time, the presence of HIV-1 non-B subtypes in Sicily in patients who experienced virological failure during HAART, and highlight the need for implementing a network for the epidemiological surveillance of HIV-1 subtypes in Southern Europe.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-03-17 | AIDS research and human retroviruses |