HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 IN FECES AND SERUM - EVIDENCE AGAINST INDEPENDENTLY EVOLVING SUBPOPULATIONS

It is not known whether independent tissue-specific evolution accounts for the differences between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV- 1) subpopulations in intestinal tissue and blood. To study this, seque ntial serum samples from three persons were analysed for the presence of HIV-1 V3 genotypes which were detected exclusively in faeces at a s pecific time-point. For two persons the faeces genotype was found in s erum samples collected before the time of faeces collection: 7 months for one person and 32 months for the other person. In the third person , serum collected 1 month after faeces collection contained the faeces genotype in abundance. These data indicate that a difference between intestinal tissue and blood HIV-1 subpopulations is not the result of complete compartmentalization and independent HIV-1 evolution in intes tinal tissue, but that it reflects an unequal distribution of HIV-1 in different tissues.