AEGiS-12IAC: Analysis of full-length HIV-1 RNA genomic sequences in the genital tract of women.

12th International AIDS Conference

Geneva, Switzerland - June 28-July 3, 1998

Analysis of full-length HIV-1 RNA genomic sequences in the genital tract of women.

Int Conf AIDS 1998 Jun 28-Jul 3; 12:16 (abstract no. 11169)

Philpott S, Fang G, Chappey C, Anastos K, Tsoukos C, Burger H, Weiser B
Wadsworth Center, NYS Dept of Health, Albany 12208, USA.

BACKGROUND: To understand viral pathogenesis, vaccine design, and heterosexual and mother-to-child transmission we studied HIV-1 in the genital tract of women. Because HIV-1 RNA represents replicating virus, we developed a technique based on reverse transcription and long PCR to clone full-length HIV-1 RNA genomes from infected individuals.

METHODS: We used this technique to determine complete HIV-1 RNA sequences from virus in the genital tract, specifically the cervicovaginal lavage (CVL), and compare them to contemporaneous plasma sequences from the same individual. We performed these studies on two women who showed clear evidence of having reservoirs of viral replication in the genital tract.

RESULTS: In each case, the level of HIV-1 RNA in CVL exceeded that in the plasma. Patient 1's viral load in plasma was 180,000 copies/ml while her viral load in a CVL sample was 2,500,000 copies/ml. Patient 2's viral load was 90,000 copies/ml and 200,000 copies/ml in her plasma and CVL, respectively. Both women were infected heterosexually and Patient 1 subsequently transmitted HIV-1 to a male partner. Preliminary computational analysis of multiple HIV-1 RNA sequences isolated from these subjects show that the CVL and plasma sequences are related, yet significantly distinct. HIV-1 RNA sequences isolated from the CVL were also considerably more heterogeneous than contemporaneous plasma sequences. These sequences data confirm that the genital tract represents a distinct reservoir of infection and that comparison of HIV-1 sequences in blood and CVL is therefore necessary to understand HIV-1 pathogenesis in women.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV-1, Viral Load, Base Sequence, HIV Long Terminal Repeat, Human, Female, Child, Male, genetics, ICA12
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