Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Subtypes of HIV
There are two main subtypes of HIV, known as HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV type 2 (HIV-2). These subtypes have distinct genetic differences and are associated with different epidemiological patterns and clinical characteristics.
HIV-1 exhibits a genetic relation to viruses indigenous to chimpanzees and gorillas that inhabit West Africa, while HIV-2 viruses are affiliated with viruses present in the sooty mangabey, a vulnerable West African primate.
HIV-1 viruses can be further stratified into groups M, N, O, and P. Among these, HIV-1 group M viruses are the most prevalent, infecting nearly 90% of people living with HIV and are responsible for the global AIDS pandemic. Group M can be further subdivided into subtypes based on genetic sequence data. Certain subtypes are known for their increased virulence or drug resistance to different medications used to treat HIV.
HIV-2 viruses are generally considered to be less virulent and less transmissible than HIV-1 M group viruses, although HIV-2 is also known to still cause AIDS.
One of the prevailing challenges in the pursuit of effective management of HIV is the virus's pronounced genetic variability and rapid viral evolution.
HIV-1 is the most common and most pathogenic strain of the virus. As of 2022[update], approximately 1.3 million such infections occur annually. Scientists divide HIV-1 into a major group (group M) and two or more minor groups, namely groups N, O and possibly a group P. Each group is believed to represent an independent transmission of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) into humans, excluding subtypes within a specific group. The complete genome sequence of HIV-1 contains a total of 39 open reading frames (ORFs) across all six possible reading frames (RFs), but only a few of them are functional.
With 'M' for "major", this is by far the most common type of HIV, with more than 90% of HIV/AIDS cases caused by infection with HIV-1 group M viruses. This major HIV, which was the source of pre-1960 pandemic viruses, originated in the 1920s in Léopoldville, the Belgian Congo, today known as Kinshasa, which is now the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its zoonotic origin is the SIVcpz strain, which infects chimpanzees. The M group is subdivided further into clades, called subtypes, that are also given a letter. There are also "circulating recombinant forms" or CRFs derived from genetic recombination between viruses of different subtypes which are in addition each given a number. CRF12_BF, for example, is a recombination between subtypes B and F.
The spatial movement of these subtypes moved along the railways and waterways of the DRC from Kinshasa to these other areas. These subtypes are sometimes further split into sub-subtypes such as A1 and A2 or F1 and F2. In 2015, the HIV strain CRF19, a recombinant of subtype A, subtype D, and subtype G, with a subtype D protease, was found to be strongly associated with rapid progression to AIDS in Cuba. This is not thought to be a complete or final list, and further types are likely to be found.
Hub AI
Subtypes of HIV AI simulator
(@Subtypes of HIV_simulator)
Subtypes of HIV
There are two main subtypes of HIV, known as HIV type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV type 2 (HIV-2). These subtypes have distinct genetic differences and are associated with different epidemiological patterns and clinical characteristics.
HIV-1 exhibits a genetic relation to viruses indigenous to chimpanzees and gorillas that inhabit West Africa, while HIV-2 viruses are affiliated with viruses present in the sooty mangabey, a vulnerable West African primate.
HIV-1 viruses can be further stratified into groups M, N, O, and P. Among these, HIV-1 group M viruses are the most prevalent, infecting nearly 90% of people living with HIV and are responsible for the global AIDS pandemic. Group M can be further subdivided into subtypes based on genetic sequence data. Certain subtypes are known for their increased virulence or drug resistance to different medications used to treat HIV.
HIV-2 viruses are generally considered to be less virulent and less transmissible than HIV-1 M group viruses, although HIV-2 is also known to still cause AIDS.
One of the prevailing challenges in the pursuit of effective management of HIV is the virus's pronounced genetic variability and rapid viral evolution.
HIV-1 is the most common and most pathogenic strain of the virus. As of 2022[update], approximately 1.3 million such infections occur annually. Scientists divide HIV-1 into a major group (group M) and two or more minor groups, namely groups N, O and possibly a group P. Each group is believed to represent an independent transmission of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) into humans, excluding subtypes within a specific group. The complete genome sequence of HIV-1 contains a total of 39 open reading frames (ORFs) across all six possible reading frames (RFs), but only a few of them are functional.
With 'M' for "major", this is by far the most common type of HIV, with more than 90% of HIV/AIDS cases caused by infection with HIV-1 group M viruses. This major HIV, which was the source of pre-1960 pandemic viruses, originated in the 1920s in Léopoldville, the Belgian Congo, today known as Kinshasa, which is now the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Its zoonotic origin is the SIVcpz strain, which infects chimpanzees. The M group is subdivided further into clades, called subtypes, that are also given a letter. There are also "circulating recombinant forms" or CRFs derived from genetic recombination between viruses of different subtypes which are in addition each given a number. CRF12_BF, for example, is a recombination between subtypes B and F.
The spatial movement of these subtypes moved along the railways and waterways of the DRC from Kinshasa to these other areas. These subtypes are sometimes further split into sub-subtypes such as A1 and A2 or F1 and F2. In 2015, the HIV strain CRF19, a recombinant of subtype A, subtype D, and subtype G, with a subtype D protease, was found to be strongly associated with rapid progression to AIDS in Cuba. This is not thought to be a complete or final list, and further types are likely to be found.