Evidence of the Existence of a New Circulating Recombinant Form of HIV Type 1 Subtype A/J in Cameroon

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Abstract
Several genetic subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) of HIV-1 have been identified. The greatest degree of genetic diversity is displayed by variants from Central and West Africa. HIV-1 env C2–V5 and protease sequences were obtained from 15 HIV-1-infected pregnant women, who were selected from a larger cohort study in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Fourteen of 15 virus variants were shown to be recombinant, whereas a single variant appeared to be nonrecombinant subtype A. Five viruses were subtype A/J recombinants, with env genes derived from subtype A and protease genes derived from subtype J. Seven viruses clustered with reference sequences for CRF02 AG(IbNG) in both the env and protease gene fragments, and were thus subtype A/G recombinants. Two variants displayed even more complex recombination patterns. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the five subtype A/J recombinants might be the first representatives of a previously unrecognized CRF.