Identification of a Novel HIV Type 1 CRF01_AE/B'/C Recombinant Isolate in Sichuan, China.

We report in this study a novel HIV-1 unique recombinant virus (XC2014EU01) isolated from an HIV-positive man who infected through heterosexual sex in Sichuan, China. The near full-length genome analyses showed that XC2014EU01 harbored one subtype B segment in pol region and two subtype C segments in gag-pol region in a CRF01_AE backbone. The unique mosaic structure was distinctly different from the other CRF01_AE/B'/C recombinant forms reported. Phylogenetic tree analyses revealed that the subtype B region originated from a Thailand subtype B' lineage, the subtype C regions were from an India C lineage, and the backbone was from CRF01_AE. XC2014EU01 was still identified as CCR5-tropic, and plasma of XC2014EU01 infected person had the media neutralizing activity. The emergence of XC2014EU01 may increase the complexity of the HIV-1 epidemic among high-risk populations and the difficulty of vaccine research and development.