The Use of Bioinformatics for Studying HIV Evolutionary and Epidemiological History in South America

Bello, Gonzalo; Soares, Marcelo A.; Schrago, Carlos G.

doi:10.1155/2011/154945

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 122 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A scenario of HIV-1 subtype C predominance, followed by its recombinants CRF31_BC and URF_BC was found in the incarcerated population studied here, which is in agreement with recent reports conducted in the city of Porto Alegre and in other areas of southern Brazil [16], [17], [21], [40]–[42]. These results suggest that the HIV molecular epidemics found inside this prison is not distinguishable from that of the local general population, a consequence of the intense flow between the prison and the outside population.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

HIV behind Bars: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Cluster Analysis and Drug Resistance in a Reference Correctional Unit from Southern Brazil

Prellwitz

Alves

Ikeda³

et al. 2013

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

People deprived of liberty in prisons are at higher risk of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) due to their increased exposure through intravenous drug use, unprotected sexual activity, tattooing in prison and blood exposure in fights and rebellions. Yet, the contribution of intramural HIV transmission to the epidemic is scarcely known, especially in low- and middle-income settings. In this study, we surveyed 1,667 inmates incarcerated at Presídio Central de Porto Alegre, located in southern Brazil, for HIV infection and molecular characterization. The HIV seroprevalence was 6.6% (110/1,667). Further analyses were carried out on 40 HIV-seropositive inmates to assess HIV transmission clusters and drug resistance within the facility with the use of molecular and phylogenetic techniques. The molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 subtypes observed was similar to the one reported for the general population in southern Brazil, with the predominance of HIV-1 subtypes C, B, CRF31_BC and unique BC recombinants. In particular, the high rate (24%) of URF_BC found here may reflect multiple exposures of the population investigated to HIV infection. We failed to find HIV-infected inmates sharing transmission clusters with each other. Importantly, the analysis of HIV-1 pol genomic fragments evidenced high rates of HIV primary and secondary (acquired) drug resistance and an alarming proportion of virologic failure among patients under treatment, unveiling suboptimal access to antiretroviral therapy (ARV), low ARV adherence and dissemination of drug resistant HIV strains in primary infections. Our results call for immediate actions of public authority to implement preventive measures, serological screening and, for HIV-seropositive subjects, clinical and treatment follow-up in order to control HIV infection and limit the spread of drug resistance strains in Brazilian prisons.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

HIV behind Bars: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Cluster Analysis and Drug Resistance in a Reference Correctional Unit from Southern Brazil

Prellwitz

Alves

Ikeda³

et al. 2013

PLoS ONE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several studies have reported an increase in HIV-1C prevalence in that region. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In the city of Rio Grande, one of the foci of this study, such an increase is clearly evident: from 22% in 2002 to 56% in 2010. 16,17 The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients is associated with a marked reduction in morbidity and mortality.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Identification of Novel Resistance-Related Polymorphisms in HIV-1 Subtype C RT Connection and RNase H Domains from Patients Under Virological Failure in Brazil

Barral

Sousa

Santos

et al. 2017

AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mutations in the connection and RNase H C-terminal reverse transcriptase (RT) domains of HIV-1 have been shown to impact drug resistance to RT inhibitors. However, their impact in the context of non-B subtypes has been poorly assessed. This study aimed to characterize resistance-related mutations in the C-terminal portions of RT in treatment-failing patients from southern Brazil, a region with endemic HIV-1 subtype C (HIV-1C). Viral RNA was isolated and reverse transcribed from 280 infected subjects, and genomic regions were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction, DNA sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. Two novel mutations, M357R and E529D, were evidenced in Brazilian HIV-1C strains from treatment-failing patients. In global viral isolates of subjects on treatment, M357R was selected in HIV-1C and CRF01_AE and E529D was selected in HIV-1 subtype B (HIV-1B). While most C-terminal RT mutations described for HIV-1B also occur in HIV-1C, this work pinpointed novel mutations that display subtype-specific predominance or occurrence.

show abstract

“…Previous phylogeographic studies indicate that the subtype C epidemic in southern Brazil was probably initiated by the introduction of a single founder strain into PR, followed by a rapid dissemination of the virus to the neighboring southern states [4,5]. The founder Brazilian subtype C strain probably originated in east Africa, although the exact country of origin and the precise time-scale of such an event remain uncertain [6]. One study conducted by our group points to Burundi as the most probable origin of the Brazilian subtype C clade [4], while other studies point to Ethiopia or Kenya [5,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing the Origin and Northward Dissemination Dynamics of HIV-1 Subtype C in Brazil

et al. 2013

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous studies indicate that the HIV-1 subtype C epidemic in southern Brazil was initiated by the introduction of a single founder strain probably originating from east Africa. However, the exact country of origin of such a founder strain as well as the origin of the subtype C viruses detected outside the Brazilian southern region remains unknown. HIV-1 subtype C pol sequences isolated in the southern, southeastern and central-western Brazilian regions (n = 209) were compared with a large number (n ~ 2,000) of subtype C pol sequences of African origin. Maximum-likelihood analyses revealed that most HIV-1 subtype C Brazilian sequences branched in a single monophyletic clade (CBR-I), nested within a larger monophyletic lineage characteristic of east Africa. Bayesian analyses indicate that the CBR-I clade most probably originated in Burundi and was introduced into the Paraná state (southern region) around the middle 1970s, after which it rapidly disseminated to neighboring regions. The states of Paraná and Santa Catarina have been the most important hubs of subtype C dissemination, and routine travel and spatial accessibility seems to have been the major driving forces of this process. Five additional introductions of HIV-1 subtype C strains probably originated in eastern (n = 2), southern (n = 2) and central (n = 1) African countries were detected in the Rio de Janeiro state (southeastern region). These results indicate a continuous influx of HIV-1 subtype C strains of African origin into Brazil and also unveil the existence of unrecognized transmission networks linking this country to east Africa.

show abstract

The Use of Bioinformatics for Studying HIV Evolutionary and Epidemiological History in South America

Cited by 9 publications

References 122 publications

HIV behind Bars: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Cluster Analysis and Drug Resistance in a Reference Correctional Unit from Southern Brazil

HIV behind Bars: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Cluster Analysis and Drug Resistance in a Reference Correctional Unit from Southern Brazil

Identification of Novel Resistance-Related Polymorphisms in HIV-1 Subtype C RT Connection and RNase H Domains from Patients Under Virological Failure in Brazil

Tracing the Origin and Northward Dissemination Dynamics of HIV-1 Subtype C in Brazil

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About