Identification of a novel HIV-1 second-generation recombinant form (CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC) in Jilin, China.

We report here a novel HIV-1 second-generation recombinant form (CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC) isolated from an HIV-positive male subject infected through heterosexual contact in Jilin province in northeastern China. Phylogenic analysis shows that this novel second-generation recombinant (JL.RF09) was composed of two well-established circulating recombinant forms (CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC), with two recombinant breakpoints observed in the vpu/env and env gene regions, respectively. The CRF01_AE region of the recombinant was clustered together with a previously described subcluster 4a lineage of CRF01_AE, which is exclusively circulating among men who have sex with men (MSM) in northern China, indicating that the parental origin of the CRF01_AE region in JL.RF09 was from MSM in north China. The CRF07_BC regions of the recombinant are clustered within the CRF07_BC cluster but are distinct from other CRF07_BC references. The detailed origin of CRF07_BC in this recombinant is still not clear. The emergence of the novel HIV-1 recombinant indicates the ongoing generation of recombinants involving CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC, and may provide vital insights into our understanding of the dynamics and complexity of the HIV-1 epidemic in China.