Genetic variation of gag gene in HIV-1 subtype B infections from Henan and Shanxi provinces of China / 病毒学报

The 109 whole blood samples were collected from HIV-1 infected former blood donors in Henan and Shanxi. The RNA templates were extracted from plasma and used for the full gag gene amplification and sequencing. The sequences were divided into 3 groups according to sampling year. The Entropy software was used to identify the amino acids with composition difference among different groups of amino acid sequences. The results showed that there existed 8 and 13 amino acid sites with the statistical significance difference, respectively, in sequences in year 2004 and 2005, compared to those in 2002. Among them, there existed 5 amino acid sites in two groups. Of 16 amino acid sites, the increasing polymorphism and the decreasing polymorphism along the sampling year were observed in 10 and 6 amino acid sites respectively. Of 10 sites with increased polymorphism, 8 sites were located in the CTL epitopes recognized and presented by the main HLA alleles existed in Chinese population. The 6 sites with decreasing polymorphism all existed in main domains of Gag proteins.

Detection of hantaan virus from gamasid mite and chigger mite by molecular biological methods / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the proliferation and location of hantaan virus (HV) in gamasid mites and chigger mites.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HV RNA in gamasid mites and chigger mites were detected by reverse transcription, polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR) and in situ hybridization.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The smallest quantity of mite from which HV RNA could be detected was 5 mites group. The titers of -and proliferated in mites HV RNA could be found in ovary cells and dug cells of gamasid mites and chigger mites by in situ hybridization.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results showed that HV could be trans-stadially transmitted and proliferated in mites, and HV always located in ovary and dug organs of mites. These results provide direct evidence at molecular level for the role of gamasid mites and chigger mites as vectors in transmission of HV.</p>