Title:Identification of the Near Full-length Genome of a Novel HIV-1 CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC Recombinant with a Complex Genomic Structure Isolated in Hebei Province, China
Volume: 21
Issue: 4
Author(s): Weiguang Fan*, Jianru Jia, Haoxi Shi, Miaomiao Su, Juan Meng and Weina An
Affiliation:
- Clinical Laboratory, The People’s Hospital of Baoding, Baoding, Hebei, China,
Keywords:
HIV-1, baoding, CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC, near full-length genome, recombination.
Abstract:
Background: During HIV genotypic drug resistance testing of patient samples in Baoding,
Hebei Province, China, in 2022, a recombinant fragment was detected in the pol region of an
HIV-1 strain.
Objective: The objective of the study was to analyze the near full-length genome of a novel HIV-1
CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinant with a complex genomic structure.
Methods: Viral RNA was extracted from the blood of the infected individual and reverse transcribed
to cDNA. Two overlapping segments of the HIV-1 genome were amplified using a nearendpoint
dilution method and sequenced. Recombinant breakpoints were determined using RIP,
jpHMM, and SimPlot 3.5.1 software. MEGA 6.0 software was used to construct a neighbor-joining
phylogenetic tree.
Results: We obtained the near full-length genome sequence (8680 bp) of a novel HIV-1
CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinant. Recombination analysis showed that the genome comprised
at least 12 overlapping segments, including six CRF07_BC and six CRF01_AE segments, with
CRF07_BC as the backbone. The emergence of CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinant strains indicated
that HIV-1 co-infection is common. However, the increasing genetic complexity of the HIV-1
epidemic in China warrants continued investigation.
Conclusion: The increase in CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinant viruses suggests that HIV-1 has
a high genetic mutation rate in Hebei, China. This highlights the need for close monitoring of HIV-1
molecular epidemiologic changes to provide accurate, up-to-date information for effective disease
control.
