Near Full-Length Genomic Characterization of a Novel HIV-1 B/C Recombinant Form Identified in Guangdong Province, China

The wide variety of new HIV-1 recombinant variants are a predominant challenge for understanding the molecular epidemiology and preventing the spread of the HIV-1 epidemic. In this study, we confirmed a novel HIV-1 unique B/C recombinant (ZLQ01186) isolated from a male patient infected with HIV-1 through injection drug use in Foshan city, Guangdong Province. The near full-length genome was amplified, and then the polymerase chain reaction products were sequenced by Sanger sequencing. The genomic sequence of the strain, with two subtype B segments inserted into the subtype C backbone, was 8,953 bp in length, extending from 647 to 9,599 bp according to the HXB2 genome. In addition, this B/C recombinant strain contained the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance mutation K103N and the integrase strand transfer inhibitor other resistance mutation L74I according to the Stanford University HIV Drug Resistance Database program. The drug resistance profile indicates high-level resistance against efavirenz and rilpivirine. This study identified a recombinant between the main circulating strains, indicating a more complicated trend of the HIV-1 epidemic in Guangdong, China.