In recent years, men who have sex with men (MSM) have been the most affected population with fastest growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence in China. In our study, a novel CRF01_AE/07_BC HIV-1 recombinant form (TJIH0069), with four unique breakpoints in the pol, vpr, and nef gene regions, was identified among MSM in Tianjin City in north China. The CRF01_AE regions (regions I, III, and V) of the recombinant are all clustered together with a previously described sequence (HQ215555), which was exclusively circulating among MSM in Shijiazhuang city of Hebei Province in north China. The CRF07_BC regions (II and IV) are clustered with BJ070032 and JX960600, which were discovered from MSM population in north China. The continuous emergence of a similar pattern of recombinant strain between the two MSM-adapted existing circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) highlights the importance to monitor potential new CRFs for early and precise control and prevention.
Keywords: CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC; China; HIV; Tianjin.