This archive report was first published on 7 November 2019.
Published on November 7, 2019, a new subtype of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The strain, HIV-1 Group M subtype L, was discovered in three people from blood samples taken between the 1980s and 2001.
According to guidelines issued in 2000, a new subtype must be identified in at least three independent cases to be classified. This new subtype, L, is the 10th of its group and the first to be identified since the guidelines were issued.
Group M is the most prevalent form of the HIV-1 virus, and researchers have found that antiretroviral drugs have generally performed well against various subtypes. However, there is also evidence of subtype differences in drug resistance.
"Since subtype L is part of the major group of HIV, Group M, I would expect current treatments to work with it," said Mary Rodgers, a principal scientist and head of the Global Viral Surveillance Program at Abbott.
Abbott has made the sequence available to the research community to evaluate its impact on diagnostic testing, treatments, and potential vaccines. The discovery highlights the importance of cutting-edge genome sequencing in tracking the virus's evolution.
