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Horizontal transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 from father to child
F Salvatori1, M De Martino, L Galli
1Department of Oncology and Surgical Sciences, AIDS Reference Center, University of Padova, Italy.
Insights
A child contracted human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) from his father, likely through skin exposure. Genetic analysis confirmed the father-child transmission, distinct from other mother-child cases.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Studied an unusual case of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in a child.
- Investigated potential transmission routes within a family setting.
Observation:
- HIV-1 infection confirmed in a 5-year-old child and his father, but not the mother or sister.
- Father was unaware of his HIV-1 status, presenting with atopic dermatitis.
- Viral genetic sequences from father and child clustered together, distinct from other mother-child pairs.
Findings:
- Phylogenetic analysis strongly suggests father-to-child HIV-1 transmission.
- Significantly lower viral genetic variability between father and child compared to unrelated cases.
- Identified an uncommon APGR motif in the V3 domain of viral clones from both father and child.
Implications:
- Highlights potential non-sexual transmission routes of HIV-1, such as through skin lesions.
- Underscores the importance of considering household contacts in pediatric HIV investigations.
- Suggests a possible role of skin barrier disruption in HIV-1 transmission.
Abstract:
An unusual case of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in a child was studied. The child, identified as HIV-1 infected at 5 years of age, lived with his parents and a 3-year-old sister. HIV-1 infection was excluded in the mother and sister, but confirmed in the father, who was unaware of his infection and was in good health, apart from an atopic dermatitis on the face and limbs. A portion of the HIV-1 proviral envelope gene was amplified from the father's and child's peripheral blood cells, and the amplified products were cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis disclosed that the father's and child's viral sequences clustered together, and were clearly distinct from the sequence sets obtained from six epidemiologically unlinked mother-child HIV-1-infected pairs included in the analysis. HIV-1 variability was lower in the child's sequence set than in the father's, and the variability between father's and child's sequences was significantly lower than that found between epidemiologically unlinked cases (p < 0.001). An uncommon APGR motif on the tip of the V3 domain was found in both the father's and child's viral clones. These data, together with the epidemiological investigations, strongly suggest that the child acquired the infection from his father, possibly by exposure to bleeding skin lesions.