Phylogenetic analysis of human immunodeficiency virus 1 in Ghana

Eleven human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) isolates from Ghanaian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) or AIDS-related complex (ARC) patients obtained by our serosurvey in 1986-1994 were genomically analyzed and phylogenetically compared with other known strains. A phylogenetic tree constructed by analyzing the env region indicated that heterogeneous HIV-1 strains were circulating in Ghana and the majority of them (9 of 11 isolates) belonged to clade (subtype) A which is now furiously epidemic in Africa. Another isolate (1 of 11) belonged to clade D, and the remaining one (1 of 11) belonged to "clade G". This "clade G" virus grouped by the env analysis belonged to clade A by its pol sequence, suggesting an A/G intersubtype recombinant. The characteristic sequences in the V3 tip which have not yet been reported were observed in these Ghanaian isolates, which should be taken into account for future vaccine programs.