Near full-length sequence analysis of HIV type 1 BF recombinants from Italy.

Recombination between HIV-1 subtypes B and F has generated several circulating and unique recombinant forms, particularly in Latin American areas. In Italy, subtype B is highly prevalent while subtype F is the most common pure non-B subtype. To investigate the recombination pattern in Italian BF recombinant viruses, we characterized full-length sequences derived from 15 adult patients, mostly Italian and infected by the heterosexual route. One of the BF mosaics was a CRF29, three sequences clustered with low bootstrap values with CRF39, CRF40, and CRF42. With the exception of the CRF29-like sequence, the other recombination patterns were unique, but two possible clusters were identified. Analysis of the gp120 V3 domain suggested a possible link with subtype F from Eastern Europe rather than from Latin America, favoring the hypothesis of local recombination between clade B and F viruses over that of import of BF recombinants from Latin America. HIV-1 subtypes B and F appear prone to generation of unique recombinants in Italy, warranting epidemiological surveillance and investigation of a possible clinical significance.

Comparative determination of HIV-1 co-receptor tropism by Enhanced Sensitivity Trofile, gp120 V3-loop RNA and DNA genotyping.

BACKGROUND: Trofile is the prospectively validated HIV-1 tropism assay. Its use is limited by high costs, long turn-around time, and inability to test patients with very low or undetectable viremia. We aimed at assessing the efficiency of population genotypic assays based on gp120 V3-loop sequencing for the determination of tropism in plasma viral RNA and in whole-blood viral DNA. Contemporary and follow-up plasma and whole-blood samples from patients undergoing tropism testing via the enhanced sensitivity Trofile (ESTA) were collected. Clinical and clonal geno2pheno[coreceptor] (G2P) models at 10% and at optimised 5.7% false positive rate cutoff were evaluated using viral DNA and RNA samples, compared against each other and ESTA, using Cohen's kappa, phylogenetic analysis, and area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC). RESULTS: Both clinical and clonal G2P (with different false positive rates) showed good performances in predicting the ESTA outcome (for V3 RNA-based clinical G2P at 10% false positive rate AUROC = 0.83, sensitivity = 90%, specificity = 75%). The rate of agreement between DNA- and RNA-based clinical G2P was fair (kappa = 0.74, p < 0.0001), and DNA-based clinical G2P accurately predicted the plasma ESTA (AUROC = 0.86). Significant differences in the viral populations were detected when comparing inter/intra patient diversity of viral DNA with RNA sequences. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma HIV RNA or whole-blood HIV DNA V3-loop sequencing interpreted with clinical G2P is cheap and can be a good surrogate for ESTA. Although there may be differences among viral RNA and DNA populations in the same host, DNA-based G2P may be used as an indication of viral tropism in patients with undetectable plasma viremia.

Three-class-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variant in a drug-naive heterosexual couple.

Combination antiretroviral treatment was initiated in a heterosexual couple newly diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection. Multiple genotypic drug resistance testing following early rebound of viral load revealed that the same three-class-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strain had been present in both patients since before initiation of treatment.

Use of peripheral blood DNA for genotype antiretroviral resistance testing in drug-naive HIV-infected subjects.

Parallel analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cell DNA and plasma RNA from 169 drug-naive human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects revealed that evaluation of both compartments increases the sensitivity of detection of drug resistance-related mutations, compared with examination of either source alone. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell DNA may play a role in the surveillance of transmitted antiretroviral resistance.

Natural variability in the HR-1 and HR-2 domains of HIV type 1 gp41 from different clades circulating in Italy.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) HR-1 and HR-2 gp41 regions were sequenced in a total of 228 plasma or peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples obtained from an equal number of enfuvirtide-naive subjects for pol genotypic resistance testing in clinical practice. Phylogenetic analysis of the env sequences indicated that 102 belonged to subtype B and 95 to non-B subtypes (31 CRF02_AG, 21 F1, 14 C, 11 A1/A2/A3, 9 CRF01_AE, 9 others) while the remaining 31 were unique recombinant forms. There was considerable variability in the consensus sequence of different clades, particularly in HR-2. The HR-1 amino acid region 36-45, containing all of the enfuvirtide resistance mutations so far characterized, was well conserved except for position 42 where serine and asparagine were unevenly distributed in different subtypes. Enfuvirtide resistance mutations were not present in any sample, reinforcing the expectation that enfuvirtide is effective against many different HIV-1 clades and recombinants. However, some of the mutations outside the amino acid 36-45 region and provisionally suggested to play a role in modulating resistance were detected in a minority of cases. Molecular epidemiological surveys coupled with long-term observation of in vivo response to enfuvirtide and future fusion inhibitors are required to clarify the clinical significance of gp41 natural variability.

Evidence of differential selection of HIV-1 variants carrying drug-resistant mutations in seroconverters.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the relative efficiency of transmission of different HIV-1 drug-resistance mutations from patients failing treatment, considered as potential transmitters (PTs), to seroconverters (SCs). DESIGN: Ecological cross-sectional study. METHODS: HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase (RT) sequence data, obtained from 155 SCs and 2,690 PTs at the Department of Molecular Biology of the University of Siena, Italy, in the period 1997-2004 were used. The efficiency of transmission was studied by odds ratio (OR) analysis and evaluation of 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). For mutations not detected in viruses from SCs, a binomial probability model was used, assuming P-values <0.05 as indicative of a negative selection at transmission. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of drug mutations associated with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-NRTIs (NNRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs) was 13.2%, 4.6% and 2.0% in SCs, and 69.9%, 27.6% and 33.7% in PTs, respectively. Among RT mutations present both in PTs and SCs, M1841/V and T215F/Y had the lowest relative efficiency of transmission, whereas V1181, Y181C/I and K219E/Q showed the highest relative efficiency. Of the three major protease mutations that could be evaluated by this approach, M46l/L had a lower rate of transmission than 184V and L90M. Among the mutations not detected in viruses from SCs, the RT E44D, V1081, Q151M and Y188C/H/L, and the protease D30N, G48V and V82A/F/S/T substitutions appeared to be negatively selected. CONCLUSIONS: The transmission rate of drug-resistant HIV-1 variants may be differentially affected by the mutational pattern. The binomial model enabled to evaluate the negative selection against specific substitutions. Given the low prevalence of some resistance mutations in SCs, very large data sets are required to evaluate the potential selection of such mutations.