Near-Full-Length Genomic Characteristics of Three Novel Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 CRF01_AE/C Recombinant Forms Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Hebei Province, China

Subtypes circulating recombinant form (CRF)01_AE and C are two human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 strains that are prevalent in different key populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) in China. Co-circulating of different HIV-1 subtypes is easy to result in the generation of second-generation recombinants. In this study, three new HIV-1 CRF01_AE/C recombinants from three MSMs were detected in Hebei province, China. Phylogenetic tree and recombination analysis showed that the near-full-length genomic of S114 had seven recombination breakpoints, including four C fragments inserted into the CRF01_AE backbone; M363 had six recombination breakpoints, including three C fragments inserted into the CRF01_AE backbone; M162 had eight recombination breakpoints, including four C fragments inserted into the CRF01_AE backbone. Furthermore, phylogenetic tree analysis based on subregion gene fragments also identified this kind of CRF01_AE/C recombinant structure. This study suggests a more complex HIV-1 epidemiological trend in Hebei province, China and the urgency of continuous HIV-1 recombinant strain registry in sexually transmitted populations.