Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 Infection in the Amazon Region

Abstract

No other group of infectious agents has received increased attention from scientists in recent years than that of retroviruses. This reflects not only their importance as pathogens of humans and animals, but also its great value in studying the interactions between pathogens and host. The family Retroviridae comprises a large number of viruses that have the ability to insert its genome into the host cell and infect primarily vertebrates, despite having been described infections in other animals such as snails and insects. Viruses pathogenic to humans which cause infections worldwide can be divided into two main groups: the transformants and the cytopathic. The first, induce changes in the control of cell division and can lead to tumors, such as Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), belonging to the genus Deltaretrovirus and is linked to neurological and hematological. Cytopathic retroviruses are members of the Lentivirus genus, such as the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and are related to severe immunodeficiency condictions. The ubiquotous conditions, now known by the name of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused by HIV and was first recognized in the summer of 1981. The spread of an emerging virus in all regions of the world, caused great losses both in terms of human lives as well as in the economic point of view. HIV infection results in a profound disorder in the host immune system, which is characterized by a decrease in the number of lymphocytes with the CD4 glycoprotein on their surface, especially helper T lymphocytes (ATL), with subsequent reversal of the ratio of CD4+ or CD8+ T lymphocytes. In Brazil, the HIV-1 dissemination reflects the grandeur and diversity sociogeographic of the country and its regional heterogeneity. The first cases of HIV/AIDS in Brazil, dates from 1982 and were originated the Southeast individual, which today still has the highest number of reported cases of the disease. Subtypes B, F, C and D, in addition to samples of virus recombinants and dual infections in different geographical areas. In the present chapter, we describe the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 infection in the Brazilian Amazon region, emphasizing its impact in the city of Belem, Capital of the Para State, which is the main port of entry into the Amazon, highlighting the occurrence of the circulating subtypes and the genetic profile of the host which is associated with the infection.