Molecular network-based intervention brings us closer to ending the HIV pandemic

Precise identification of HIV transmission among populations is a key step in public health responses.However,the HIV transmission network is usually difficult to determine.HIV molecular networks can be determined by phylogenetic approach,genetic distance-based approach,and a combination of both approaches.These approaches are increasingly used to identify transmission networks among populations,reconstruct the history of HIV spread,monitor the dynamics of HIV transmission,guide targeted intervention on key subpopulations,and assess the effects of interventions.Simulation and retrospective studies have demonstrated that these molecular network-based interventions are more cost-effective than random or traditional interventions.However,we still need to address several challenges to improve the practice of molecular network-guided targeting interventions to finally end the HIV epidemic.The data remain limited or difficult to obtain,and more automatic real-time tools are required.In addition,molecular and social networks must be combined,and technical parameters and ethnic issues warrant further studies.

The Establishment and Spatiotemporal History of A Novel HIV-1 CRF01_AE Lineage in Shenyang City, Northeastern China in 2002–2019

Dear Editor,In China,HIV-1 CRF01_AE has always been one of the most prevalent subtypes,especially among sexually active population,since it was initially reported in Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces during the early 1990s(Cheng et al.1994;Yu et al.1998;Chen et al.1999).Multiple independent introductions of CRF01_AE have led to the establishment of at least eight epidemic lineages in China,which have been circulating among different high-risk populations and have variable prevalence and geographic distribution(Li et al.2017).