INTRODUCTION OF HIV-1 SUBTYPE-C, SUBTYPE-E AND SUBTYPE-A INTO AUSTRIA

Background: Different subtypes of HIV-1 are prevalent in various geogr aphical regions. Knowledge of their distribution is of importance with respect to possible differences in biological properties (such as rep orted for subtype E) as well as to diagnostic problems that may arise when specific subtypes are not recognized by standard serological assa ys. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to investigate the p resence of the five major subtypes of HIV-1 (A-E) in the Austrian popu lation and to estimate the prevalence of the individual subtypes in di fferent risk groups. Study design: Serum samples from 88 HTV-1 positiv e patients were tested for the presence of subtype-specific antibodies using a peptide ELISA. Results: The majority of the patients were sho wn to be infected with HIV-1 subtype B, but infections with subtypes A , C, and E were also detected in the Austrian population, primarily in the heterosexual transmission group. While subtypes A and C were prob ably imported from different African countries, subtype E appears to h ave been introduced by sex tourists returning from Thailand. Conclusio n: Introduction of HIV subtypes other than B from Africa and Asia into Austria has already occurred and will certainly increase within the n ext few years. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.