Early Presence of HIV-1 Subtype C in Washington, D.C

The presence of non-B HIV subtypes in the USA has been documented during the epidemic, although the timing of early introductions of different subtypes remains uncertain. Subtype C, the most common HIV variant worldwide, was first reported in the USA in 1996-97, after subtype C had expanded greatly in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we report a patient with subtype C infection acquired by mother-to-child transmission, born in the USA in 1990 to a Washington, D.C. resident who never traveled outside the USA, demonstrating that subtype C was present in the USA much earlier. Comparative analysis of the sequence from this patient and subtype C sequences in the USA and elsewhere suggest multiple independent introductions of this subtype into the USA have taken place, many of which are traced to sub-Saharan or East Africa. These data indicate subtype C HIV was already present in the USA years earlier than previously reported, and during the early period of subtype C expansion.