Molecular Epidemiology of HIV in Northern India and Pakistan

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The purpose of this project is to clarily the genetic findings, the transmission and the geographic distribution of HIV strains in Northern India and Pakistan and to provide important basic information which will be able to protect against HIV and to develop the vaccination for AIDS.We previously reported that the HIV subtype B was predominantly found in Northern India and was suggested to transmit from HIV-1 subtype B infected intravenous drug users (IVDUs) in Thailand and/or Myammer, while the subtype C was common found in Southern India where HIV was known to transmit from Africa.Last year we analyzed genetic homology between the subtype B of HIV-1 infected IVDUs in Manipur located at north-east in India, the same border in Myammer and the one in Thailand and Myammer. The results revealed that the subtype B of HIV-1 infected IVDUs in Manipur was genetically different from the one in Thailand and Myammer.This year the genetic findings of HIV-1 which spread in Pakistan were investigated. Of 13 HIV-1 infected patients, seven are subtype B, three are subtype C, two are mixed with subtype A and B, one is subtype E.Many male workers in Pakistan used to visit Persian Gulf States where lots of commercial sex workers come to work from south-east Asia. While one of seven subtype B strains is similar to one of African type B, six subtype B is not in the same cluster as one in Thailand and Myammer, but very close to US type B.The data suggested that The HIV-1 subtype B patients infected in Persian Gulf States were transmitted with commercial sex workers in the countries in east-south Asia where US type B were spread.