HIV-1C env and gag Variation in the Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma of Patients with HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis in Botswana

HIV-1C env and gag Variation in the Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma of Patients with HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis in Botswana

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HIV-1 compartmentalization in reservoir sites remains a barrier to complete HIV eradication.It is unclear whether there is variation in HIV-1 env and gag between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of individuals with HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis (CM).We compared HIV-1 env characteristics and the gag cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) escape mutations from CSF and plasma samples.

Employing population-based Sanger sequencing, we sequenced HIV-1 env from CSF of 25 patients and plasma of 26 patients.For gag, 15 CSF and 21 plasma samples were successfully sequenced.Of these, 18 and click here 9 were paired env and gag CSF/plasma samples, respectively.

There was no statistically significant difference in the proportion of CCR5-using strains in the CSF and abc material plasma, (p = 0.50).Discordant CSF/plasma virus co-receptor use was found in 2/18 pairs (11.

1%).The polymorphisms in the HIV-1 V3 loop were concordant between the two compartments.From the HIV-1 gag sequences, three pairs had discordant CTL escape mutations in three different epitopes of the nine analyzed.

These findings suggest little variation in the HIV-1 env between plasma and CSF and that the CCR5-using strains predominate in both compartments.HIV-1 gag CTL escape mutations also displayed little variation in CSF and plasma suggesting similar CTL selective pressure.