Near full-length genomic characterization of a novel HIV type 1 CRF07_ BC/CRF08_ BC recombinant strain from Yunnan, China.

Yunnan province was considered the HIV-1 epicenter of China, where many subtypes and CRFs of HIV-1 were circulating. CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC were two of the main circulating subtypes that caused more than 90% of the HIV-1 infections in intravenous drug users (IDUs) in this district. The cocirculation of these two CRFs in the same area and population predicted the emergence of new second-generation recombinants. This study presented a near full-length genomic analysis of a novel HIV-1 recombination (09YN072) involving CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC. The analyses of the sequence of 09YN072 showed that two CRF07_BC segments were inserted into the CRF08_BC backbone. The discovery of the novel recombinant strain complicates the HIV-1 epidemic in Yunnan, China, as well as the development of effective vaccines to limit the spread of HIV-1 in China.