Abstract
The trend in transmitted drug resistance (TDR) and prevalence of non-B HIV-1 infected individuals newly diagnosed at participating HIV/AIDS clinics in the Tokai area were evaluated during the period 2009-2017.
Non-B subtype infections accounted for 11.2% of new diagnoses in the Tokai area. Most individuals were infected with CRF01_AE, followed by subtype C and CRF02_AG, A, F, G and BF recombinant virus. The estimated location of infection in Japan was most observed in the CRF01_AE, subtype C and CRF01_ AG. The number of cases were individuals have been infected with HIV-1 CRF02_AG has been increasing (1 case in 2009-2011, 4 cases in 2012-2014 and 7 cases in 2015-2017) among men who have sex with men (MSM),heterosexual and non-specific sexual communities. The molecular phylogenic analysis revealed that 8 of the 12 individuals infected with HIV-1s CRF02_AG belong to the same transmission cluster. These data suggested that HIV-1 CRF02_AG may rapidly spread among multiple communities in the Tokai area.
The overall prevalence of TDR in non-B subtype infected individuals (8.0% in 2009-2017) was slightly lower than that of the nationwide surveillance (9.1% in 2008-2011). The frequencies of TDR mutation in HIV 1 non-B subtype were nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-associated resistance (3.6%), protease inhibitor (PI) (3.6%) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) (1.8%). In the CRF01_ AE, TDR prevalence was 13.2%, and multiple drug resistance of the virus was observed.
It could be anticipated that an expansion in the number of foreign workers as the nation attempts to be the host country for the Olympic Games could lead to an increase in the number of foreigners in Japan. Therefore, non-B HIV-1s from immigration-related and international traveler carriers might lead to different HIV-1 trends in Japan. We need to evaluate effective prevention strategies and to strengthen epidemiological surveillance on TDR and circulating HIV-1s among newly diagnosed individuals in the Tokai area.
