Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was discovered in the early 1980s when the virus had already established a pandemic. For at least three decades the epidemic in the Western World has been dominated by subtype B infections, as part of a sub-epidemic that traveled from Africa through Haiti to United States. However, the pattern of the subsequent spread still remains poorly understood. Here we analyze a large dataset of globally representative HIV-1 subtype B strains to map their spread around the world over the last 50years and describe significant spread patterns. We show that subtype B travelled from North America to Western Europe in different occasions, while Central/Eastern Europe remained isolated for the most part of the early epidemic. Looking with more detail in European countries we see that the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland exchanged viral isolates with non-European countries than with European ones. The observed pattern is likely to mirror geopolitical landmarks in the post-World War II era, namely the rise and the fall of the Iron Curtain and the European colonialism. In conclusion, HIV-1 spread through specific migration routes which are consistent with geopolitical factors that affected human activities during the last 50years, such as migration, tourism and trade. Our findings support the argument that epidemic control policies should be global and incorporate political and socioeconomic factors.
Highlights
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered in the early 1980s (Barre-Sinoussi et al, 1983) when the virus had already established a pandemic
We introduce new metrics to classify specific geographic regions into “outward”, “inward” or “isolated” and explore viral connectivity links among particular areas
Our study describes the global pattern of Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) migration across the Western Hemisphere
Summary
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was discovered in the early 1980s (Barre-Sinoussi et al, 1983) when the virus had already established a pandemic. For at least three decades the epidemic in the Western World has been dominated by subtype B infections, as part of a sub-epidemic that traveled from Africa to United States through Haiti, and to the rest of the world (Gilbert et al, 2007). Archival HIV sequences from the earliest known Haitian AIDS patients have helped science to understand early events in the spread of HIV (Gilbert et al, 2007). With the exception of local country-specific outbreaks and studies tracking the spread of the virus on a local scale, the global flow of subtype B during the last 30 years still remains to be charted
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
More From: Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.