Authors
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David O. Olaleye
Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan
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Zhijuan Sheng
Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
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Thomas Howard
Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
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Suraiya Rasheed
Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
Keywords:
AIDS, HIV-1, Clade A, Macrophage-tropic viruses, Neurotropism
Abstract
We have isolated a new variant of HIV-1 from Nigeria. The virus was recovered from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of an apparently asymptomatic, 23-year old male from Ibadan, Nigeria. The in vitro host range indicates that this virus is highly cytopathic to normal PBMCs, established T-cell lines and the monocytic cell line U937. The highest virus titre was obtained in freshly isolated macrophage/monocyte cells which also showed the least cytopathology. Based on the DNA sequence analysis of cDNA clones containing the env gene, this virus has been classified as HIV-subtype or clade A. None of the five viruses currently assigned to clade A have been isolated from Nigeria. The clade A viruses also have not been shown to exhibit extreme cytopathicity of lymphocytes and macrophage tropism observed in the Nigerian strain. Since most macrophage-tropic viruses have been associated with "neurotropism", the isolation of an HIV-1 strain from the blood of an individual with no known neurological disorders indicates that this unique combination of cell-tropism may be essential for the rapid onset of HIV disease. This is the first report of an HIV-1 isolate from Nigeria.
Author Biographies
Zhijuan Sheng, Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
Thomas Howard, Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
Suraiya Rasheed, Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
Laboratory of Viral Oncology and AIDS Research, University of Southern California, School of Medicine, 1804 N. Soto St., Los Angeles, CA 90032-3626
