Detection of Polish cases of highly virulent subtype B of HIV-1 originating in the Netherlands.

ABSTRACT

Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype B is most commonly acquired in Poland through men who have sex with men (MSM) comparable to the HIV epidemic in the Netherlands. Following a paper by Chris Wymant et al. on February 4, 2022 in Science on a highly virulent variant of HIV-1 subtype-B (VB-variant) in the Netherlands raised concerns about the possibility of the variant dissemination to other European countries. We aim to report the spread of HIV-1 VB-variant, recently identified in the Netherlands, into other European regions. Subtype B pol gene fragments of protease (P), reverse transcriptase (RT), and integrase (IN) from our laboratory supplemented with publicly available sequences were inferred with VB samples from the Netherlands. For positively clustering samples, clinical observations were compiled. Between May 2009 and August 2014, three cases of VB sequences of Polish origin and one additional from Belgium were identified. Patients presented with elevated viral loads and fast CD4 decline as original characteristics. The mean number of base substitutions per site within the clade versus interclade variability showed a high intragroup sequence similarity, reflecting an ongoing MSM transmission cluster for Polish sequences. The sampling period coincides with the ongoing Dutch VB-variant spread reported between 2003 and 2014. This study informs on phylogenetic descriptions, and clinical symptoms from the rare and emerging VBs placed in Poland. VB is not expanding since 2014 and the Inviduals infected with the VB virus can be treated successfully. Studies on the propagation of novel and potentially virulent virus variants in the undersampled regions add to the understanding of the pan-European HIV-1 transmission dynamics.