Wide distribution of two subtypes of HIV-1 in Thailand.

Scientists wanted to identify the genetic characteristics of 2 HIV-1 subtypes in Thailand. Staff from regional laboratories of the Ministry of Public Health took blood samples from people in various high risk groups and from all regions of the country. Staff at the National Institutes of Health in Bangkok then did lymphocyte separation, DNA extraction, and virus culture. They took the extracted DNA specimens and sent them to the US Centers for Disease Control where scientists did serologic testing, polymerase chain reaction, and sequence determination. They used Kimura's method to study sequence variations. They sequenced 300 nucleotides, including the C2-V3 domains of HIV-1 envelope gene and/or hybridization. Every risk group had HIV-1 subtype A, but subtype B was mostly found in drug users. Subtype A had spread mainly among heterosexuals. The mean intraperson variation for subtypes A and B stood at 2% and 2.7%, respectively, while the interperson variation within subtype A and B stood at 3.8% and 3.7%, respectively. The mean interperson variation between subtypes A and B from different persons was 18.1%. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that subtype B identified with about 85% of the sequence as that of the North American isolates, making it more closely related to them than to African isolates (about 75% sequence identity). On the other hand, subtype A had a GPGQ motif at the V3 crown which was common among African HIV-1 isolates. Antibodies which usually recognize HIV-1 MN strains (which have the GPGR motif) may not react wholly with the V3 loop from the Thailand subtype A viruses, thus the GPGQ motif at the V3 crown may pose a problem. Now for the first time, scientists can follow the natural history of 2 HIV-1 subtypes and determine their relative pathogenicity and transmission efficiency between adults or from mother to infant. The relative homogeneity of the HIV-1 strains in Thailand presents a theoretical advantage in designing vaccines for potential large-scale clinical trials.