Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 in Rio Grande, RS, Brazil

• Main Authors: Ana Maria Barral de Martínez, Edel Figueirêdo Barbosa, Paulo César Pelegrino Ferreira, Fabiola Adriene Cardoso, Jussara Silveira, Gabriela Sassi, Cláudio Moss da Silva, Vera Mendonça-Signorini, Carlos Maurício de Figueiredo Antunes
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2002
• Subjects: Molecular epidemiology; HIV subtypes; Modes of transmission; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/90bade2fb6c04017ba5b6ed969ffbc54

We conducted a molecular epidemiological study to investigate HIV-1 strains in Rio Grande, southern Brazil, searching for an association with transmission mode and risk behavior. Patients (185) identified at an AIDS treatment reference Hospital, from 1994 to 1997, were included; from which 107 blood samples were obtained. Nested PCR was realized once for each sample; for amplified samples (69) HIV subtypes were classified using the heteroduplex mobility assay. Subtypes identified were B (75%), C (22%) and F (3%). All infections with C were diagnosed after 1994. Comparing patients with B and C, no differences were detected regarding demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics; survival analysis did not reveal differences in HIV to AIDS evolution. A higher proportion of injecting drug users, IDU (not significant, p<.07) was found among those with C. This suggests that C may have been introduced in this area through IDU, and is being spread, probably by their sexual partners, to persons with other risk practices.