Subject(s)
Genetic Variation , HIV Infections/virology , HIV-1/classification , HIV-1/genetics , Adult , Amino Acid Sequence , Base Sequence , Female , Genes, tat/genetics , HIV Envelope Protein gp120/genetics , HIV Long Terminal Repeat/genetics , HIV-1/isolation & purification , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Molecular Sequence Data , Phylogeny , Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods , Sequence Alignment , Sequence Analysis, DNA , VenezuelaABSTRACT
Eight HIV-1 isolates from Venezuela have been characterized by nucleotide sequencing of the entire reverse transcriptase (RT)- and surface glycoprotein (gp 120)-coding regions. Average mutant frequencies were 2.5 x 10(-2) substitutions per nucleotide (s/nt) for the RT-coding region, and 10 x 10(-2) or 6.8 x 10(-2) s/nt for the gp120-coding region, depending on whether gaps introduced for optimal alignment were or were not, respectively, considered in the calculations. Phylogenetic trees were derived by maximum-likelihood, neighbor-joining, and maximum parsimony methods. In the trees derived from both RT- and gp120-coding regions, Venezuelan isolates cluster with subtype B viruses. However, the relative position of some of the isolates is considerably different in the two trees. Unique V3 loop amino acid sequences, not represented in the current database, have been identified among the Venezuelan isolates. In addition to representing the first molecular characterization of HIV-1 from Venezuela, the extensive genetic heterogeneity observed reinforces the interest in characterizing additional HIV-1 isolates worldwide for adequate vaccine design.
Subject(s)
HIV Envelope Protein gp120/genetics , HIV Infections/virology , HIV-1/genetics , RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase/genetics , Adult , Amino Acid Sequence , Base Sequence , DNA Primers , Genes, env , Genes, pol , HIV Infections/blood , HIV Reverse Transcriptase , HIV-1/classification , HIV-1/isolation & purification , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Molecular Sequence Data , Mutation , Phylogeny , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , VenezuelaABSTRACT
Skeletal muscle biopsy specimens were taken from 10 male horses naturally infected with Trypanosoma evansi and from 10 uninfected males. An indirect fluorescent antibody test was used to provide a rapid and reliable indication of infection. Histological, histochemical and transmission electron microscopical techniques were used to examine skeletal muscle. The ultrastructural features in muscle fibres were those usually seen in autoimmune disease, namely fibre and capillary necrosis and mononuclear cell infiltration, consisting of macrophages. Changes in fibre-type percentages did not occur in response to the parasite, but alterations in fibre size and capillary supply were found in the parasitized horses.