Subtype B and Subtype C HIV Type 1 Recombinants in Manipur

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Subtype B and Subtype C HIV Type 1 Recombinants in the Northeastern

State of Manipur, India.

AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2005 Feb;21(2):152-7 (ISSN: 0889-2229)

Tripathy SP; Kulkarni SS; Jadhav SD; Agnihotri KD; Jere AJ; Kurle

SN; Bhattacharya SK; Singh K; Tripathy SP; Paranjape RS

National AIDS Research Institute, 73 G Block, MIDC, Bhosari, Pune-

411026, India.

The predominant HIV-1 strain circulating in India is subtype C.

However, subtype A and B strains of HIV-1 have also been reported in

India. In 1999, the first A/C recombinant strain was reported from

Pune in India. Intravenous drug users (IVDUs) from the northeastern

region of India have a high HIV-1 seroprevalence.

Studies carried out in intravenous drug users in the northeastern

region of India have shown that HIV-1 subtype C is the predominant

strain infecting IVDUs. Fourteen blood samples were collected from

HIV-1-infected individuals from the northeastern region of India and

screened by env and gag heteroduplex mobility assays (HMA). Where

the env and gag HMA results from a sample yielded different

subtypes, sequencing of env and gag PCR products was carried out to

confirm the presence of HIV-1 recombinants. Of the 14 samples

subtyped, nine samples belonged HIV-1 subtype C (gag C/env C), one

to HIV-1 subtype B (gag B/env , and the remaining were B/C

recombinants (gag C/env . This is the first report of HIV-1 B/C

recombinants from India.