Introduction of HIV type 1 non‐B subtypes into Eastern Andalusia through immigration

Abstract

A study of the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in the native and immigrant populations of Eastern Andalusia (Southern Spain) was conducted to determine any changes between 1983 and 2001 and to identify antiretroviral resistance mutations in non-B subtype strains among the immigrant population. The study included 111 native patients from Eastern Andalusia: 94 infected with HIV before 1996 and 17 infected since 1996. A parallel study was conducted on 26 HIV-positive immigrants from Africa. Subtyping was done with the heteroduplex mobility assay. Resistance mutations were determined by line probe assay. A total of 137 patients were studied: 9.2% had subtype A (n = 12), 80.8% subtype B (n = 105), and 1.5% subtype C (n = 2). Among the Eastern Andalusia population infected before 1996, 10.9% had non-B subtypes, compared with 23.5% of those infected after that year. The greatest percentage of non-B subtypes (52.4%) was found among the immigrant population. Resistance mutation K70R was detected in one of the six immigrants with non-B subtype and M41L in another. There has been a slight increase in the diversity of HIV-1 subtypes in Eastern Andalusia over the past few years, possibly influenced by non-B subtypes introduced by immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

Molecular Epidemiology of HIV Type 1 in Newly Diagnosed Patients in Southern Spain

“…Our data show that subtype B virus predominates in this region with a frequency similar to what has been reported for other regions of mainland Spain 7,8 and France. 11 However, the prevalence of subtype B virus is higher in western Andalucia than has been reported in neighboring Portugal 12 and the Spanish Canary Islands, 9 likely due to the differing immigration patterns in these regions.…”

“…3,6 HIV surveillance studies have shown that the geographic regions of Spain are subject to unique migration patterns, resulting in populations that harbor different HIV subtype diversities. [7][8][9] The goal of the present study is to characterize the subtype diversity and determine the prevalence of re- Table 1 shows the characteristics of individuals included in the study. Of the 72 patients, 67 were Spanish, two were from Nigeria (NV25 and NV28), one was from Argentina (NV12), one was from India (NV35), and one was from Morocco (NV42).…”

Transmitted Drug Resistance in Nonsubtype B HIV-1 Infection

“…An increase in non-B subtypes in Europe, likely secondary to immigration from African and other countries [61–68];…”

Short Communication: Retrospective Study to Time the Introduction of HIV Type 1 Non-B Subtypes in Lyon, France, Using env Genes Obtained from Primary Infection Samples

“…Nowadays, diversification of the epidemic occurred and almost every subtype and several CRF can be found in North America and Western Europe. [2][3][4][5][6] Timing the successive introduction events is useful to understand the history of the epidemic, but it requires samples referenced accurately for contamination date. The precise dating of transmission events is a major challenge, and as it is mostly based on patient statements, its reliability may be questionable.…”