HIV spread in South and South-East Asia is most alarming, and genetic
variability of HIV-1 is an important consideration in vaccine developm
ent. In this study, we examined the third variable (V3) region of env
gene of HIV-1 variants prevalent in Thailand, Malaysia, India, and the
Philippines. By phylogenetic tree analyses, an HIV-1 variant from an
injecting drug user (IDU) in Thailand belonged to subtype B, and HIV-1
variants from 2 IDUs in Malaysia were classified into 2 subtypes, B a
nd E. One HIV-1 variant from a male homosexual in the Philippines belo
nged to subtype B. Out of 8 HIV-1 variants from sexually transmitted d
isease patients in India, 7 belonged to subtype C, and one to subtype
A. Although the total number of individuals examined in this study was
limited, 4 HIV-1 subtypes were found in South and South-East Asia and
large international movements of HIV-1-infected individuals in this r
egion could induce global dissemination of these HIV-1 variants.