@article{fdi:010068808,
  title = {{G}enetic diversity and transmission networks of {HIV}-1 strains among men having sex with men ({MSM}) in {L}ome, {T}ogo},
  author = {{K}onou, {A}. {A}. and {V}idal, {N}icole and {S}alou, {M}. and {A}nato, {S}. and {S}ingo-{T}okofai, {A}. and {E}kouevi, {D}. {K}. and {P}itche, {P}. and {P}rince-{D}avid, {M}. and {D}elaporte, {E}ric and {P}eeters, {M}artine and {D}agnra, {A}. {Y}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{U}nderstanding the {HIV} epidemic in key populations is important. {T}oday only scarce information is available on {HIV}-1 strains that circulate in men having sex with men ({MSM}) in sub-{S}aharan {A}frica. {H}ere, we studied for the first time the genetic diversity of {HIV}-1 strains circulating in the {MSM} population in {L}ome, the capital city from {T}ogo. {T}he overall subtype/{CRF} distribution in pol (protease and/or partial reverse transcriptase ({RT})) among the 79 {HIV}-1 strains from {MSM} was as follows: {CRF}02_{AG} (72%, n = 57), subtype {G} (2.5%, n = 2), subsubtype {A}3 (1.3%, n = 1), and unique recombinant forms ({URF}) (24%, n = 19). {A}mong the 19 {URF}s four different mosaic structures were observed, annotated as {URF}1 to {URF}4. {F}ifteen sequences ({URF}1) had the same mosaic structure in pol ({G}/{CRF}02_{AG}) and could represent a new circulating recombinant form ({CRF}). {P}hylogenetic analysis of the {RT} sequences showed that there were several introductions of {CRF}02_{AG} strains in the {MSM} population, however half of the {CRF}02_{AG} and all {URF}1 strains formed a separate, well-supported cluster suggesting one major introduction of {CRF}02_{AG} in the {MSM} population followed by efficient transmission and emergence of a possible new {CRF}. {A}t least 40% of the strains fell into recent transmission chains involving two to seven {MSM}. {C}omparison with {N}950 {HIV}-1 sequences from previous studies in {T}ogo showed intermixing of the {HIV}-1 epidemics between {MSM} and the general population. {M}oreover, an {HIV}-1 strain from a recently {HIV}-1 infected male patient from {G}ermany, fell within a cluster of {HIV}-1 strains from {MSM} from {T}ogo, illustrating recent exchange between {MSM} from {A}frica and people from other geographic regions. {W}ith growing evidence of the importance of {MSM} in the dynamic of the {HIV} epidemic in {A}frica there is an urgent need for appropriate interventions to limit {HIV} transmission in this population group.},
  keywords = {{HIV}-1 ; {G}enetic diversity ; {MSM} ; {T}ogo ; {T}ransmission networks ; {TOGO} ; {LOME}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{I}nfection {G}enetics and {E}volution},
  volume = {46},
  numero = {},
  pages = {279--285},
  ISSN = {1567-1348},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.meegid.2016.05.030},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010068808},
}