New strain of HIV detected in Manipur

[Guest guest]

New strain of HIV detected in Manipur but alarm bells don't ring yet

IMPHAL Aug. 16: The National AIDS research Institute (Nari) has detected a new

HIV hybrid strain in blood samples taken from HIV-positive residents of Manipur

but authorities don't seem to have sat up.

The blood samples have tested positive for the HIV-1 B/C recombinant strain –

a combination of of B and C strain of the virus. The strain, which resembles

that prevalent in Thailand, is believed to have been acquired through

cross-border sex tourism at Moreh-Tamu junction on the Indo-Myanmar border and

fingers are being pointed at traders who frequent Thailand.

Experts are viewing the identification of a new strain very seriously as known

methods of combating the HIV virus may now have to undergo a sea change..

Dr Priyo, in charge of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) at JN Hospital in Manipur

told The Statesman: " A new strain is always worrisome.

Apart from HIV 1, HIV-2 strain is also found in patients here. The HIV-2 strain

does not respond to Nevirapine therapy. "

The news of a new recombinant strain surprised him. " This is serious, " Dr Priyo

said. He was surprised that neither the National AIDS Control Organisation

(Naco) ~ the nodal organisation for formulation of policy and implementation of

programs for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in India, nor the Manipur Aids

Control Society (Macs), had contacted him.

At Macs, officials said on the condition of anonymity that so far, Naco had not

asked it to start surveillance of the new strain.

Neither Macs, nor the microbiology department at the Regional Institute of

Medical Sciences (Rims) seem to know which blood samples yielded the new

strains.

Nari scientists have urged surveillance to check the spread of the new strain.

They also want to find out how much more effective the new strain is in

spreading HIV from one individual to another. " There is a need to study how well

the new recombitant strain responds to treatment of HIV, " a Nari scientist said.

For thousands living with the disease the news has come as a shock.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=2 & theme= & usrsess=1 & id=218536

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

Here are few more further referances on studies on B/c recombinant

HIV starins from Manipur, other parts of India,china and brazil.I(thought I

should post it for the benefit of others who are interested

in this area.

1. Lakhashe S, Tripathy S, Paranjape R, Bhattacharya

J.Characterization of B/C recombinants of near full-length HIV type 1

from northeastern India with mosaics identical to ARE195FL but with a

different ancestral origin.AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2008 Jan;24

(1):92-9.

2.Evidence of a novel B/C recombinant exhibiting unique breakpoints

of near full-length HIV type 1 genome from Northeastern India.AIDS

Res Hum Retroviruses. 2008 Feb;24(2):229-34.PMID: 18284322 [PubMed -

indexed for MEDLINE]

3.Pollakis G, Abebe A, Kliphuis A, De Wit TF, Fisseha B, Tegbaru B,

Tesfaye G, Negassa H, Mengistu Y, Fontanet AL, Cornelissen M,

Goudsmit J.Recombination of HIV type 1C (C'/C " ) in Ethiopia: possible

link of EthHIV-1C' to subtype C sequences from the high-prevalence

epidemics in India and Southern Africa.AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses.

2003 Nov;19(11):999-1008

4.Tripathy SP, Kulkarni SS, Jadhav SD, Agnihotri KD, Jere AJ, Kurle

SN, Bhattacharya SK, Singh K, Tripathy SP, Paranjape RS.Subtype B and

subtype C HIV type 1 recombinants in the northeastern state of

Manipur, India.

5.Santos AF, Sousa TM, Soares EA, Sanabani S, ez AM, Sprinz E,

Silveira J, Sabino EC, Tanuri A, Soares MA.Characterization of a new

circulating recombinant form comprising HIV-1 subtypes C and B in

southern Brazil.AIDS. 2006 Oct 24;20(16):2011-9.

6.Bhanja P, Sengupta S, Banerjee D, Sarkar K, Jana S, Chakrabarti

S.Detection of intersubtype recombinants with respect to env and nef

genes of HIV-1 among female sex workers in Calcutta, India.Virus Res.

2007 Dec;130(1-2):310-4. Epub 2007 Aug 7.

7.Characterization of five nearly full-length genomes of early HIV

type 1 strains in Ruili city: implications for the genesis of

CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC circulating in China.AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses.

2005 Dec;21(12):1051-6.

Dr Ajith

Trichur

e-mail: <ajisudha@...>