LAUSR

We analyzed the near full-length genome of an HIV-1-positive sample(027A) with an undetermined subtype to determine the recombinant characteristics and possible source of the parental virus. 027A is a novel HIV-1 second-generation recombinant form composed of CRF01_AE and subtype B, detected from a married HIV-1-positive male subject who was infected through homosexual transmission in Baoding, Hebei province, China. The near full-length genome (NFLG) phylogenetic tree analysis suggested that the strain was close to CRFs' reference sequences involved with CRF01_AE, but formed a distinct monophyletic cluster separately from them. This indicated that the strain might be a unique CRF01_AE-related recombiant from. What's more, the results of RIP and jpHMM further demonstrated that the NFLG sequence of the strain was composed of CRF01_AE and subtype B. The strain was two CRF01_AE fragments inserted into B backbone. Phylogenetic analysis illustrated that the CRF01_AE sub-regions was from the previously identified CRF01_AE cluster 4, and the B sub-regions was correlated with the B strains originated from Europe and America. They were all the lineages widely prevalent in MSM population in China. In recent years, a large number of recombinant origined from CRF01_AE and B strains are constantly emerging in MSM population in China. This continual and recurrent recombination between CRF01_AE and B in high risk group people deserves more attention and further monitoring.