Identification of a New HIV-1 CRF68_01B/CRF01_AE Recombinant Form Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Hebei Province, China

In recent years, homosexual contact has been the most frequent route of human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) transmission in Hebei, China. The number of circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) and unique recombinant forms found in this key population were more and more. In this study, we identified a novel HIV-1 second-generation recombinant form originated from CRF68_01B and CRF01_AE among men who have sex with men (MSM) through the phylogenetic and recombinant breakpoints analyses based on the near full-length genome. Both CRF68_01B and CRF01_AE were circulating in the Hebei province of China, and this MSM was diagnosed as the recent HIV-1 infection in fact. The result reminds that we should constantly monitor HIV-1 diversity in Hebei and take further effective to control the recombination of not only HIV-1 major strains but also minor strains.

Automated summary

Homosexual contact has become the most frequent route of HIV-1 transmission in Hebei, China. A new second-generation recombinant form of HIV-1, originating from CRF68_01B and CRF01_AE, has been identified among men who have sex with men (MSM). This finding highlights the importance of monitoring HIV-1 diversity and implementing effective measures to control viral recombination in Hebei province.