Genotyping of HIV-1 detected in HIV infected men who have sex with men in Shaoxing, Zhejiang

Objective To understand the genotypes of HIV-1 circulating in HIV infected men who have sex with men(MSM) in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province.Methods Fifty blood samples were collected from 50 newly-diagnosed HIV infected MSM who received no antiviral therapy from 2013 to 2014,and the gag and pol gene fragments of HIV-1 were amplified with RT-PCR and nest-PCR. The gene phylogenetic tree was constructed to analyze the subtypes of HIV strains.Results A total of 46 plasma samples were successfully amplified and analyzed.Three HIV subtypes were detected, i.e. CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and B, accounting for 52.17%, 39.13% and 6.52%. In addition, 1 new recombinant subtype was detected(2.17%).Conclusion CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC were the major HIV-1 subtypes detected among MSM in Shaoxing. It is necessary to strengthen the surveillance of HIV-1 subtype CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC in MSM.