Detection of the B"-GWGR variant in the southernmost region of Brazil: unveiling the complexity of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 subtype B epidemic

Abstract

Typical human immunodeficiency virus-1 subtype B (HIV-1B) sequences present a GPGR signature at the tip of the variable region 3 (V3) loop; however, unusual motifs harbouring a GWGR signature have also been isolated. Although epidemiological studies have detected this variant in approximately 17-50% of the total infections in Brazil, the prevalence of B"-GWGR in the southernmost region of Brazil is not yet clear. This study aimed to investigate the C2-V3 molecular diversity of the HIV-1B epidemic in southernmost Brazil. HIV-1 seropositive patients were ana-lysed at two distinct time points in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS98 and RS08) and at one time point in the state of Santa Catarina (SC08). Phylogenetic analysis classified 46 individuals in the RS98 group as HIV-1B and their molecular signatures were as follows: 26% B"-GWGR, 54% B-GPGR and 20% other motifs. In the RS08 group, HIV-1B was present in 32 samples: 22% B"-GWGR, 59% B-GPGR and 19% other motifs. In the SC08 group, 32 HIV-1B samples were found: 28% B"-GWGR, 59% B-GPGR and 13% other motifs. No association could be established between the HIV-1B V3 signatures and exposure categories in the HIV-1B epidemic in RS. However, B-GPGR seemed to be related to heterosexual individuals in the SC08 group. Our results suggest that the established B"-GWGR epidemics in both cities have similar patterns, which is likely due to their geographical proximity and cultural relationship.

Global Variability of V3 Loop Tetrapeptide Motif: a Concern for HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibodies-based Vaccine Design and Antiretroviral Therapy

“…HIV-1 GWGR strains are highly distributed in Brazil. Previous studies identified up to 46% of strains harboring GWGR motifs [49][50][51]. According to our results, the GWGR motif was included in 12.9% out of 5,302 HIV-1 Brazilian strains (Figure 3).…”

The Complexity of Social Capital: The Influence of Board and Ownership Interlocks on Implied Cost of Capital in an Emerging Market

“…In this paper we are interested in the effect of two different kinds of relevant complex networks in finance [1][2][3] on implied cost of capital for the listed companies, particularly in a prominent emerging market, Brazil, which have been the subject of studies on complexity in other disciplines such as epidemiology [4], geophysics [5], ecology [6,7], and information science [8,9].…”

High Detection Rate of HIV Drug Resistance Mutations among Patients Who Fail Combined Antiretroviral Therapy in Manaus, Brazil

“…Caribbean variants of subtype Bpol viruses were detected in the high rate of 15.7% when compared to other Brazilian regions, which goes in agreement with the 22% previously report at the same Amazon region [ 32 ]. A low prevalence (5.1%) of the B BR variant of HIV-1 subtype B ( env ) was observed [ 33 ], in contrast with 20-60% found in studies from other regions in the country [ 34 – 37 ].…”

“…Of the 100 individuals enrolled in the study, we were able to amplifiy 95% at the PR/RT region and to sequence 92% of them. From those 92 individuals, approximately, 72% were male, with an average age of 40 (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46) years, and approximately, 95% were residents of Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas state. Regarding sexual orientation, 74% declared themselves heterosexual, 19% as homosexual, and 6% as bisexual.…”