HIV-1 Transmission among Injecting Drug Users is Principally Derived from Local Circulating Strains in Guangxi, China

Objective The mode of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) transmission via injection drug use(IDU)still exists, and the recent shift in IDU-related transmission of HIV infection is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze the spatiotemporal sources and dynamics of HIV-1 transmission through IDU in Guangxi.Methods We performed a molecular epidemiological investigation of infections across Guangxi from2009 to 2019. Phylogenetic and Bayesian time-geographic analyses of HIV-1 sequences were performed to confirm the characteristics of transmission between IDUs in combination with epidemiological data.Results Among the 535 subjects, CRF08_BC(57.4%), CRF01_AE(28.4%), and CRF07_BC(10.7%) were the top 3 HIV strains;72.6% of infections were linked to other provinces in the transmission network;93.6% of sequence-transmitted strains were locally endemic, with the rest coming from other provinces,predominantly Guangdong and Yunnan;92.1% of the HIV transmission among people who inject drugs tended to be transmitted between HIV-positive IDUs.Conclusion HIV recombinants were high diversity, and circulating local strains were the transmission sources among IDUs in Guangxi. However, there were still cases of IDUs linked to other provinces.Coverage of traditional prevention strategies should be expanded, and inter-provincial collaboration between Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guangdong provinces should be strengthened.

HIV-1 Subtype Diversity and Factors Affecting Drug Resistance among Patients with Virologic Failure in Antiretroviral Therapy in Hainan Province,China,2014–2020

Objective This study aimed to determine the HIV-1 subtype distribution and HIV drug resistance(HIVDR)in patients with ART failure from 2014 to 2020 in Hainan,China.Methods A 7-year cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/AIDS patients with ART failure in Hainan.We used online subtyping tools and the maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree to confirm the HIV subtypes with pol sequences.Drug resistance mutations(DRMs)were analyzed using the Stanford University HIV Drug Resistance Database.Results A total of 307 HIV-infected patients with ART failure were included,and 241 available pol sequences were obtained.Among 241 patients,CRF01_AE accounted for 68.88%,followed by CRF07_BC(17.00%)and eight other subtypes(14.12%).The overall prevalence of HIVDR was 61.41%,and the HIVDR against non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NNRTIs),nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors(NRTIs),and protease inhibitors(PIs)were 59.75%,45.64%,and 2.49%,respectively.Unemployed patients,hypoimmunity or opportunistic infections in individuals,and samples from 2017 to 2020 increased the odd ratios of HIVDR.Also,HIVDR was less likely to affect female patients.The common DRMs to NNRTIs were K103N(21.99%)and Y181C(20.33%),and M184V(28.21%)and K65R(19.09%)were the main DRMs against NRTIs.Conclusion The present study highlights the HIV-1 subtype diversity in Hainan and the importance of HIVDR surveillance over a long period.