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PMID: 11044094 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Unprecedented degree of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) group M genetic diversity in the Democratic Republic of Congo suggests that the HIV-1 pandemic originated in Central Africa.

Journal of virology ·Vol. 74 ·No. 22 ·2000-11-00 ·Pages 10498-507

Vidal N, Peeters M, Mulanga-Kabeya C, Nzilambi N, Robertson D, Ilunga W, Sema H, Tshimanga K, Bongo B, Delaporte E

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to document the genetic diversity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC; formerly Zaire). A total of 247 HIV-1-positive samples, collected during an epidemiologic survey conducted in 1997 in three regions (Kinshasa [the capital], Bwamanda [in the north], and Mbuyi-Maya [in the south]), were genetically characterized in the env V3-V5 region. All known subtypes were found to cocirculate, and for 6% of the samples the subtype could not be identified. Subtype A is predominant, with prevalences decreasing from north to south (69% in the north, 53% in the capital city, and 46% in the south). Subtype C, D, G, and H prevalences range from 7 to 9%, whereas subtype F, J, K, and CRF01-AE strains represent 2 to 4% of the samples; only one subtype B strain was identified. The highest prevalence (25%) of subtype C was in the south, and CRF01-AE was seen mainly in the north. The high intersubtype variability among the V3-V5 sequences is the most probable reason for the low (45%) efficiency of subtype A-specific PCR and HMA (heteroduplex mobility assay). Eighteen (29%) of 62 samples had discordant subtype designations between env and gag. Sequence analysis of the entire envelope from 13 samples confirmed the high degree of diversity and complexity of HIV-1 strains in the DRC; 9 had a complex recombinant structure in gp160, involving fragments of known and unknown subtypes. Interestingly, the unknown fragments from the different strains did not cluster together. Overall, the high number of HIV-1 subtypes cocirculating, the high intrasubtype diversity, and the high numbers of possible recombinant viruses as well as different unclassified strains are all in agreement with an old and mature epidemic in the DRC, suggesting that this region is the epicenter of HIV-1 group M.

MeSH Terms
Africa, Central/epidemiology DNA, Viral/analysis,genetics,isolation & purification Democratic Republic of the Congo/epidemiology Gene Products, env/genetics Genetic Variation HIV Core Protein p24/genetics HIV Envelope Protein gp120/genetics HIV Infections/epidemiology,virology HIV-1/classification,genetics,isolation & purification Heteroduplex Analysis Humans Molecular Sequence Data Peptide Fragments/genetics Phylogeny Polymerase Chain Reaction Sequence Analysis, DNA
Chemicals
DNA, Viral Gene Products, env HIV Core Protein p24 HIV Envelope Protein gp120 HIV envelope protein gp120 (305-321) Peptide Fragments
Authors & Affiliations
10 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Vidal N
Laboratoire Retrovirus, IRD, Montpellier, France.
Peeters M
Mulanga-Kabeya C
Nzilambi N
Robertson D
Ilunga W
Sema H
Tshimanga K
Bongo B
Delaporte E
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Article Info
Journal
Journal of virology
Abbr.
J Virol
ISSN
0022-538X
DOI
10.1128/jvi.74.22.10498-10507.2000
Published
2000-11-00
Pages
10498-507
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0113724
PMCID
PMC110924
Subset
IM
Databases
GENBANK
AJ401034, AJ401035, AJ401036, AJ401037
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/jvi.74.22.10498-10507.2000 PMC Full Text View journal details
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