Subtype B and Subtype C HIV Type 1 Recombinants in the Northeastern State of Manipur, India

Abstract

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 B), and the remaining were B/C recombinants (gag C/env B). This is the first report of HIV-1 B/C recombinants from India.

Evolution of HIV-1 in India

“…The presence of multiple subtypes circulating in Manipur suggests the likelihood of recombinant viruses evolving in this region. Indeed, this has been corroborated by a recent study which reported presence of B/C recombinants from this region [26]. Apart from north-eastern states there are also sporadic reports of the presence of A/C and B/C recombinants from West and South India [12,22].…”

HIV diversity, molecular epidemiology, and the role of recombination

“…The predominant circulating strain, both in Mumbai in the West [57] and in Chennai in the South [58], is subtype C. In Manipur, near China and Myanmar, four of 14 specimens were B/C recombinants [59].…”

Quantitation of HIV-1 RNA levels in plasma and CSF of asymptomatic HIV-1 infected patients from South India using a TaqMan real time PCR assay

“…Furthermore, baseline CD4 cell counts and HIV-1 RNA levels have been shown to predict immunologic and virologic responses in HIV infected Since the predominant subtype found circulating in India is HIV-1 subtype C (Bhanja et al, 2005;Halani et al, 2001;Mandal et al, 2000;Sahni et al, 2002;Siddappa et al, 2004;Tripathy et al, 2005), these assays may not be best suited for India. Hence, we thought it would be appropriate to develop a real time PCR assay for quantification of viral loads in HIV-1 infected patients from South India.…”