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Mapping the Migration of HIV-1 among IDUs with Documented Seroconversion Dates in Western European Countries by Ccombining Phylogenetic and Epidemiological Data E. OP DE COUL1*, M. PRINS1, M. CORNELISSEN2, A. VAN DER SCHOOT2, R. COUTINHO1, F. BOUFASSA3, R. BRETTLE4, I. HERNANDEZ-AGUADO5, V. SCHIFFER6, J. MCMENAMIN7, G. REZZA8, R. ROBERTSON9, R. ZANGERLE10, J. GOUDSMIT2, and V. LUKASHOV2 for the European Italian Seroconverter Study.
1Mun Hlth. Serv., 2Ac.Med Ctr, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 3Hôpital de Bicêtre, Le Kremlin Bicêtre; 4Western Gen. Hosp., Edinburgh, Scotland; 5Univ. Miguel Hernandez, Alicante, Spain; 6Hosp. Cantonal Univ. Geneva, Switzerland; 7Univ. Glasgow, Scotland; 8Inst Superiorei Sanita, Rome, Italy; 9Muirhouse Med. Group, Edinburgh, Scotland; 10Univ. Clin. Für Derm. und Vener., Innsbruck, Austria Objective: To establish the epidemiological link between the HIV-1 epidemics among IDUs in the European countries: Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland.
Methods: HIV-1 env V3 sequences (276 nt) and epidemiological data were obtained for 138 IDUs who seroconverted between 1984-1997. Phylogenetic trees and genetic distances over calendar time were obtained, and the sequences were examined for signature patterns characteristic for Northern European IDUs, including the GGC codon in the second glycine at the tip of the V3 loop.
Results: For Italy, France, Scotland and Spain, subpopulations of founder viruses were observed in the tree based on synonymous substitutions. The Amsterdam and Innsbruck sequences were intermixed with sequences from other European cities.The highest mean synonymous distance was observed for Innsbruck (15.32%), the lowest for Edinburgh (8.6%). Spain and the Netherlands had the highest ranges of variation, with maximum distances of 30.8% and 26.9%, resp. IDUs in Northern European countries predominantly carry GGC viruses, whereas in Southern European countries the non-GGC viruses predominate.
Conclusion: The GGC viruses contributed to the epidemics among IDUs in all countries studied. The proportion of non-GGC viruses was higher for France, Italy and Spain, compared to Northern European countries. The proportion of GGC viruses among Northern European IDUs is going down over time, in particular in the Netherlands, likely due to new non-GGC virus introductions. The high level of variation of the Amsterdam and Innsbruck epidemics and the international and mobile character of the IDU populations in these cities contributes to this explanation.
Key Words: Epidemiology, HIV-1 subtype B, IDUs
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