Use of Sequence Data Generated in the Bayer TruGene Genotyping Assay To Recognize and Characterize Non-Subtype-B Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Strains

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) gene sequences obtained during antiretroviral resistance testing with a commercial genotyping assay (Tru Gene; Bayer Corp.) were analyzed to assess the utility of these data for detecting and characterizing non-subtype-B HIV-1 strains. A total of 125 viral sequences obtained from patients believed to have acquired their HIV-1 infection in Africa were analyzed, of which 121 were determined to belong to non-B subtypes. Utilizing Tru Gene sequence data alone, 92 (76%) of these viruses could be subtyped by conventional phylogenetic analysis. The addition of supplemental RT sequence data enabled a further 28 (23.1%) viruses to be classified, while one (0.9%) sample could not be classified conclusively. Two internet-accessible databases that generate HIV-1 subtypes from PR and RT sequences (HIV-SEQ and Geno 2 Pheno) were also evaluated, and both achieved 88% concordance (106/120) with phylogenetic analysis. Non-subtype-B and B-subtype HIV-1 sequences could be readily discriminated by tallying silent polymorphisms listed on the Tru Gene research report. The mean number of silent polymorphisms in the non-B HIV-1 sequences identified in this study was 58.3 (95% confidence interval [CI], 41.1 to 75.5), compared with 20.7 (95% CI, 9.9 to 31.5) for the four subtype B viruses in the study cohort and 118 case-matched B-subtype controls. Sequence data generated in the Tru Gene HIV-1 genotyping assay could, therefore, provide a ready means of tracking the prevalence and identity of non-B subtypes in HIV-1-infected populations undergoing routine antiretroviral resistance testing.