Identification of a Novel HIV-1 Recombinant Form Comprising CRF01_AE and Subtype C in Hebei Province, China

Background: Circulating recombinant form (CRF) 01_AE and subtype C are two HIV-1 subtypes. In recent years, novel HIV-1 recombinant forms have become more and more prevalent in China; however, new HIV-1 CRF01_AE/C recombinant forms are less prevalent nationwide. Objective: Our research study aimed to investigate new recombinant forms between different HIV-1 subtypes and evaluate their transmission risk among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Hebei, China. Method: The near full-length genome (NFLG) of HIV-1 was identified using the analyses of the phylogenetic tree and gene breakpoints. Results: In the present work, we have reported a novel HIV-1 recombinant form composed of CRF01_AE and subtype C. The NFLG of this CRF01_AE/C form contained eight gene subregions, with four subtype C gene segments inserted into the CRF01_AE backbone, consisting of I CRF01_AE (790–1,171 nt), Ⅱ subtype C (1,172–1,840 nt), Ⅲ CRF01_AE (1,841–5,089 nt), Ⅳ subtype C (5,090–5,666 nt), Ⅴ CRF01_AE (5,667–6,317 nt), Ⅵ subtype C (6,318–8,586 nt), Ⅶ CRF01_AE (8,587–9,246 nt), and Ⅷ subtype C (9,247–9,409 nt). This new recombinant form was named CRF140_0107. Conclusion: The study suggested that it is important to monitor HIV-1 diversity to reduce HIV- 1 transmission in China.