Emergence in Japan of an HIV-1 Variant Associated with Transmission among Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in China: First Indication of the International Dissemination of the Chinese MSM Lineage

Kondo, Makiko; Lemey, Philippe; Sano, Takako; Itoda, Ichiro; Yoshimura, Yukihiro; Sagara, Hiroko; Tachikawa, Natsuo; Yamanaka, Koji; Iwamuro, Shinya; Matano, Tetsuro; Imai, Masayuki; Kato, Shingo; Takebe, Yutaka

doi:10.1128/jvi.02370-12

Cited by 28 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 33 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…[46][47][48] Western Yunnan, bordering with Myanmar, is a known hotspot of recombination with the identification of CRF07_BC 49,50 and CRF08_BC. 51,52 In 2006, CRF01_AE was found (40.5%, mostly acquired by sexual transmission) at the Yunnan-Myanmar border.…”

Section: Hiv-1 Molecular Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

HIV Epidemic in Asia: Implications for HIV Vaccine and Other Prevention Trials

Phanuphak

Shao³

et al. 2015

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An overall decrease of HIV prevalence is now observed in several key Asian countries due to effective prevention programs. The decrease in HIV prevalence and incidence may further improve with the scale-up of combination prevention interventions. The implementation of future prevention trials then faces important challenges. The opportunity to identify heterosexual populations at high risk such as female sex workers may rapidly wane. With unabating HIV epidemics among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender (TG) populations, an effective vaccine would likely be the only option to turn the epidemic. It is more likely that efficacy trials will occur among MSM and TG because their higher HIV incidence permits smaller and less costly trials. The constantly evolving patterns of HIV-1 diversity in the region suggest close monitoring of the molecular HIV epidemic in potential target populations for HIV vaccine efficacy trials. CRF01_AE remains predominant in southeast Asian countries and MSM populations in China. This relatively steady pattern is conducive to regional efficacy trials, and as efficacy warrants, to regional licensure. While vaccines inducing nonneutralizing antibodies have promise against HIV acquisition, vaccines designed to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies and cell-mediated immune responses of greater breadth and depth in the mucosal compartments should be considered for testing in MSM and TG. The rationale and design of efficacy trials of combination prevention modalities such as HIV vaccine and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remain hypothetical, require high adherence to PrEP, are more costly, and present new regulatory challenges. The prioritization of prevention interventions should be driven by the HIV epidemic and decided by the country-specific health and regulatory authorities. Modeling the impact and cost-benefit may help this decision process.

show abstract

Section: Hiv-1 Molecular Epidemiologymentioning

confidence: 99%

HIV Epidemic in Asia: Implications for HIV Vaccine and Other Prevention Trials

Phanuphak

Shao³

et al. 2015

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Japan, the number of HIV/AIDS patients at the end of 2013 was 23,015, including 7,203 AIDS and 15,812 non-AIDS patients. 15 The major circulating HIV-1 subtype in Japan has been B, which is genetically related to the strain circulating in North America, 16,17 followed by AE, with prevalences of 87.9% and 8.4%, respectively. 18 These two strains have distinct epidemiological characteristics; B predominates in men who have sex with men (MSM), whereas AE is observed mostly in heterosexuals engaging in high-risk sex.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…18 However, the distinction between these two populations is becoming blurred as increasing numbers of AE cases have also been found in MSM. 16,19 Therefore, the chance of recombination between the two strains is increasing in Japan. Indeed, among newly diagnosed cases in our study population, some cases had discordant subtyping results between pol and env sequences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

HIV-1 CRF01_AE and Subtype B Transmission Networks Crossover: A New AE/B Recombinant Identified in Japan

Hosaka

Fujisaki

Masakane

et al. 2016

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The major circulating HIV-1 strains in Japan have been subtype B (B) followed by CRF01_AE (AE) in newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases. These two subtypes have distinct epidemiological characteristics; B predominates in men who have sex with men, while AE is observed mostly in heterosexuals engaging in high-risk sex. However, transmission networks of these two high-risk populations appear to be crossing over and diffusing. Here we report the emergence of previously unidentified HIV-1 AE/B recombinants in Japan. We initially identified 13 cases with discordant subtyping results with AE (gag MA)/B ( pol PR-RT)/AE (env C2V3) by molecular phylogenetic analysis of 1,070 cases who visited Nagoya Medical Center from 1997 to 2012. Genetic characterization of full-length sequences demonstrated that they shared an identical recombinant structure, and was designated as CRF69_01B by the Los Alamos HIV National Laboratory. By reviewing gag, pol, and env sequences collected in the Japanese Drug Resistance HIV-1 Surveillance Network, we found five other CRF69_01B probable cases from different areas in Japan, suggesting that the strain is transmitted widely throughout the country. The time of the most recent common ancestor analyses estimated that CRF69_01B emerged between 1991 and 1995, soon after AE was introduced from neighboring countries in the mid-1990s. Understanding the current epidemic strains is important for the diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS, as well as for the development of globally effective HIV vaccines.

show abstract

“…While CRF01_AE infections are uncommon among Japanese MSM (1.9%), 30 to 50% of these cases were found to be caused by CRF01_AE variants (11,12) uniquely associated with transmission among MSM in China (designated CN.MSM.01-1) (10). Virus movement between the two countries appears to be bidirectional, as we also observed that the largest Japanese MSM subtype B variant (JP.MSM.B-1) was detected among MSM in China (10). These findings suggest the presence of previously unknown interactions among the HIV epidemics in China, Japan, and the rest of the world.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Detailed phylogenetic analysis revealed that approximately one-third of these subtype B strains formed a single monophyletic cluster (designated JP.MSM.B-1) (10), followed by a number of minor subtype B variants, each accounting for less than 1 to 2% of MSM infections, termed JP.MSM.B-2 through JP.MSM.B-4 (10). While CRF01_AE infections are uncommon among Japanese MSM (1.9%), 30 to 50% of these cases were found to be caused by CRF01_AE variants (11,12) uniquely associated with transmission among MSM in China (designated CN.MSM.01-1) (10). Virus movement between the two countries appears to be bidirectional, as we also observed that the largest Japanese MSM subtype B variant (JP.MSM.B-1) was detected among MSM in China (10).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%