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Vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in Japan,1989–1997: Presence of two subtypes B and E with subtype E predominance
Author(s) -
Yoshino Naoto,
Naganawa Satoshi,
Nakasone Tadashi,
Imura Soichi,
Kita Tsunekazu,
Honda Mitsuo
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
pediatrics international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.49
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1442-200X
pISSN - 1328-8067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-200x.1998.tb01980.x
Subject(s) - medicine , virology , transmission (telecommunications) , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , immunodeficiency , immunology , telecommunications , immune system , computer science
A collaborative group for studying vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐1 in pregnant women and their babies was established in Japan in 1989. Forty‐two infants, including 13 HIV‐1‐infected, 25 uninfected and four of undetermined status and 15 control children born to HIV‐1 negative mothers were diagnosed and followed from birth to 1.5 years. All strains from HIV‐positive infants were either clade E (eight infants, 61.5%) or B (five infants, 38.5%) according to DNA sequencing specific for the HIV‐1 C2‐V3 region. The 42 mothers with HIV‐1 were women with sexual‐risk behavior from all regions, but were concentrated in the Kanto District. In this group of HIV‐infected children, there was no significant difference between the transmissibility of their mother's clade E and B viruses. Eight (61.5%) of the 13 virus‐infected babies were Japanese and five (62.5%) of the eight were positive for HIV‐1 clade E. The V3 loop region of the clade E virus of the babies was conserved but approximately 60% of the sequences which showed a substitution of aspartic acid by asparagine at position 29. The results suggest that HIV‐1 clade E may be predominant in vertical transmissions and are phenotypically different from HIV‐1 in persons with various other risk behaviors in Japan.