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Review
. 2020 Mar:53:102682.
doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2020.102682. Epub 2020 Feb 27.

Understanding the mechanisms driving the spread of subtype C HIV-1

Matthew J Gartner  1 , Michael Roche  2 , Melissa J Churchill  3 , Paul R Gorry  4 , Jacqueline K Flynn  5
Affiliations
Review

Understanding the mechanisms driving the spread of subtype C HIV-1

Matthew J Gartner et al. EBioMedicine. 2020 Mar.

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype C (C-HIV) is the most prevalent form of HIV-1 globally, accounting for approximately 50% of infections worldwide. C-HIV is the predominant and near-exclusive subtype in the low resource regions of India and Southern Africa. Given the vast diversity of HIV-1 subtypes, it is curious as to why C-HIV constitutes such a large proportion of global infections. This enriched prevalence may be due to phenotypic differences between C-HIV isolates and other viral strains that permit enhanced transmission efficiency or, pathogenicity, or might due to the socio-demographics of the regions where C-HIV is endemic. Here, we compare the mechanisms of C-HIV pathogenesis to less prominent HIV-1 subtypes, including viral genetic and phenotypic characteristics, and host genetic variability, to understand whether evolutionary factors drove C-HIV to predominance.

Keywords: HIV-1; Pathogenesis; Subtype C; Transmission.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
World map illustrating the prevalence of HIV-1 group M subtypes within each region. Pie graphs show the percentage of each subtype that circulates within a region and the size of each pie represents the total number of infections in that region. Each region is colour coded. This map was adapted from subtype prevalence data from Hemelaar et al., 20198 and infection prevalence data from UNAIDS Data 2019 (https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/documents/2019/2019-UNAIDS-data).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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