Identificación de las diferentes variantes geneticas del VIH-1 en niños de procedencia no española

Abstract

Introduction The prevalence of HIV-1 non-B subtypes (HIV-NBS) is increasing in Europe, beause of emigration from countries where genetic variants are endemic. Although HIV-NBS could have a different clinical evolution and could respond differently to antiretrovirals (AR) than B-subtypes, these variant's response remain undocumented. Aims To identify HIV-1 genetic variants and to determine clinical evolution in a non-Spaniard children infected with HIV-1. Patients and method Children with HIV-1 infection from endemic countries were tested for HIV-1 subtypes between 1-1-1988 and 31-12-2006. Twelve children less than 18 years old and born abroad were selected. Results HIV-NBS were isolated in 5 children (42%): CRF2_AG recombinant in 3 cases (Equatorial Guinea), Subtyoe C in one (Equatorial Guinea) and CRF13_cpx in last one (India). Discussion Because of the increasing frequency of patients with HIV-NBS and their unknown long-term evolution, all children from endemic countries should be tested for HIV subtypes. We believe new studies with more patients during longer times could reveal differences in these patient's clinical, immunological and virological evolution.