Near Full-Length Genome Characterization of Two Novel Unique Recombinants (CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC) in Beijing, China

• Published in: AIDS research and human retroviruses
• Main Authors: Lan, Chunlin, Zhu, Bo, Zhuo, Hailong, Shi, Yuting, Sun, Zixuan, Zhang, Lixuan, Jia, Lei, Li, Hanping, Liu, Yongjian, Wang, Xiaolin, Li, Jingyun, Zhang, Bohan, Han, Jingwan, Jiang, Junjun, Li, Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 16.04.2024
• Subjects: URF; phylogenetic analysis; HIV; MSM; HES
• ISSN: 1931-8405
• DOI: 10.1089/AID.2023.0149

With the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC subtypes in China, the co-circulation of multiple subtypes in the HIV-1-positive population may result in dual infection or superinfection in the population, leading to the emergence of unique recombinant forms (URFs) of the HIV-1 virus. In this study, two second-generation unique recombinant strains, BI0114 and BI0116, were identified, and their near full-length genome sequences were obtained. Recombination analysis showed that both sequences were isoforms of URF_0107, and they were second-generation unique recombinant strains formed by the recombination of CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC, with the isoforms being CRF01_AE and CRF0107_BC, respectively. The continued emergence of novel CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinant strains suggests that the epidemiological, preventive, and control situation of HIV-1 is complex and that the relevant health authorities urgently need to establish responses to the challenges posed by changes in the pattern of strain recombination.