Viral subtyping of HIV-1 derived from infected, drug-naive individuals in Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (HIV/AIDS) remain a serious health problem in Indonesia. Jakarta has the largest number of individuals infected with HIV type 1 (HIV-1) in Indonesia; however, data on viral subtyping of HIV-1 is limited. We conducted a molecular epidemiological study on HIV-1 genes derived from infected, drug-naive individuals residing in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia with large communities of HIV-infected individuals. To determine the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes circulating in Jakarta, 43 HIV-1-infected individuals were recruited in Jakarta, Indonesia. HIV-1 gag and envgenes were amplified from peripheral blood samples derived from study participants. Viral subtyping using the Recombinant Identification Program (RIP) and phylogenetic tree analysis were conducted. RIP and phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that CRF01_AE was the dominant subtype in Jakarta (40%), followed by recombinant viruses containing CRF01_AE and subtype B gene fragments (7%) and subtype B (7%). This study reported the emergence of CRF 01_AE as predominant subtype among HIV-1-infected, drug-naïve individuals in Jakarta, Indonesia. Therefore, continuous surveillance is required in order to detect the emergence of HIV-1-infection.