Lack of detectable human immunodeficiency virus type 1 superinfection during 1072 person-years of observation

J Infect Dis. 2003 Aug 1;188(3):397-405. doi: 10.1086/376534. Epub 2003 Jul 10.

Abstract

We examined consecutive protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) sequences from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1-infected individuals, to distinguish changes resulting from sequence evolution due to possible superinfection. Between July 1997 and December 2001, >/=2 PR and RT samples from 718 persons were sequenced at Stanford University Hospital. Thirty-seven persons had highly divergent sequence pairs characterized by a nucleotide distance of >4.5% in PR or >3.0% in RT. In 16 of 37 sequence pairs, divergence resulted from the loss of mutations during a treatment interruption or from the gain of mutations with reinstitution of treatment. tat and/or gag sequencing of HIV-1 from cryopreserved plasma samples could be performed on 15 of the 21 divergent isolate pairs from persons without a treatment interruption. The sequences of these genes, unaffected by selective drug pressure, were monophyletic. Although HIV-1 PR and RT genes from treated persons may become highly divergent, these changes usually are the result of sequence evolution, rather than superinfection.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • California
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Genes, gag*
  • Genes, tat*
  • HIV Infections / virology*
  • HIV Protease / genetics
  • HIV Reverse Transcriptase / genetics
  • HIV-1 / genetics*
  • HIV-1 / isolation & purification
  • Hospitals, University
  • Mutation
  • Phylogeny
  • Population Surveillance*
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA
  • Superinfection / virology*

Substances

  • HIV Reverse Transcriptase
  • HIV Protease