We report here a novel HIV-1 recombinant form detected from a married HIV-positive man infected through homosexual behavior in Zhejiang, China. The breakpoint analysis of near full-length genome demonstrated a complex genome organization comprising two circulating recombinant forms (CRFs), CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC, both well-known CRFs in China. The parental CRF01_AE region (II) of recombinant clustered together with a previously reported cluster 4 lineage. The CRF07_BC regions (I and III) clustered within CRF07_BC references. The ongoing generation of intersubtype recombinant viruses increases the complexity of the HIV-1 epidemic and illustrates the necessity of persistent surveillance of the transmission of HIV-1.
Keywords: HIV-1; MSM; recombinant.