Emerging Infectious Diseases (Dec 2000)

Predominance of HIV-1 Subtype A and D Infections in Uganda

  • Dale J. Hu,
  • James Baggs,
  • Robert G. Downing,
  • Danuta Pieniazek,
  • Jonathan Dorn,
  • Carol Fridlund,
  • Benon Biryahwaho,
  • Sylvester D.K. Sempala,
  • Mark A. Rayfield,
  • Timothy J. Dondero,
  • Renu B. Lal

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0606.000609
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 6
pp. 509 – 515

Abstract

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To better characterize the virus isolates associated with the HIV-1 epidemic in Uganda, 100 specimens from HIV-1-infected persons were randomly selected from each of two periods from late 1994 to late 1997. The 200 specimens were classified into HIV-1 subtypes by sequence-based phylogenetic analysis of the envelope (env) gp41 region; 98 (49%) were classified as env subtype A, 96 (48%) as D, 5 (2.5%) as C, and 1 was not classified as a known env subtype. Demographic characteristics of persons infected with the two principal HIV-1 subtypes, A and D, were very similar, and the proportion of either subtype did not differ significantly between early and later periods. Our systematic characterization of the HIV-1 epidemic in Uganda over an almost 3-year period documented that the distribution and degree of genetic diversity of the HIV subtypes A and D are very similar and have not changed appreciably over that time.

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