A team of scientists has identified a new subtype of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) called HIV-1 Group M, subtype L, according to a report in November 2019. Identifying new sub-types may help researchers stay one step ahead of mutating viruses and avoid new pandemics in future, if any.
Abbott Labs, a US-based healthcare company, announced that the new subtype L of ‘Group M’ HIV virus is the first new strain identified since guidelines for classifying new strains were established in 2000.
Group M viruses are responsible for the global HIV pandemic.
The findings have been published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (JAIDS).
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Sidelight
Since the beginning of the global AIDS pandemic, 75 million people have been infected with HIV and 32 million people have died. Some 770000 people died of in 2018 alone! In US alone, some 700000 have died of AIDS/HIV-related illnesses since 1981.
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Despite the work done by the global health community over the last few decades in tackling the HIV pandemic, researchers still need to remain vigilant to monitor for new strains to make sure testing and treatments continue to work. Using the latest advancements in technology and resources may help in monitoring.
The research
To determine whether an unusual virus is in fact a new HIV subtype, three people infected with the virus must be discovered independently. The first two samples of this subtype were discovered in the DRC in the 1980s and 1990s. The third, which was collected in 2001, was not sequenced at that time because of the amount of virus in the sample and the prevailing technology. It had been stored in Abbott’s freezer for several years.
Next-generation sequencing technology allows researchers to build an entire genome at higher speeds and lower costs. In order to utilise this technology, Abbott scientists had to develop and apply new techniques to help narrow in on the little of the virus portion of the sample to fully sequence and complete the genome, the company said. Using the next-generation sequencing technology, now scientists have been able to complete the genome and identify the new HIV strain.
Abbott created its Global Viral Surveillance Programme some two-and-a-half decades ago to monitor the HIV and hepatitis viruses and identify mutations to ensure the company’s diagnostic tests remain up to date. Abbott has claimed that, in collaboration with hospitals, blood collecting centres, and even academic institutions around the world, it had collected more than 78,000 samples containing HIV and hepatitis viruses from 45 countries, identified and characterised more than 5,000 strains, and published 125 research papers.