HTV-1 proviral DNA sequences ofenvgp41 PCR amplificates from Tanzania

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct DNA sequencing were used to detect and characterize selected regions of the HIV-1 proviral genome in whole blood samples from Tanzania. Specific PCR amplification products were obtained in gag and/or env (gp41) regions from 15 of the 19 HIV-1 seropositive samples investigated. Env regions from 12 different amplificates were further characterized using the dideoxy sequencing method. Preliminary results indicate that, despite scattered nucleotide mismatches, HIV-1 gp41 amino acid sequences from Tanzania conform to the 1990 Los Alamos African consensus sequence and resemble the HIV-1 subtype A or D consensus sequences in the characterized regions.