A New HIV Strain Is Running Wild In Siberia

new hiv 2Although in the West, the news of this outbreak may seem half a world away, a  look back at the history of the strain and where it may head in the future  suggests that more attention needs to be paid to this isolated encounter. 

I reached out to Dr. Gashnikova in the hopes of gaining some more insight  into the situation in Siberia. She sent me a compilation of papers revealing  just how problematic CRF02_AG/A might be and the need for worldwide  attention.

The Siberian strain evolved from a well-known circulating strain of HIV-1,  CRF02_AG, which had been first identified some 20 years earlier in Africa. Taxonomically speaking, CRF02_AG is  comprised of a mixture of two specific  subtypes (aka clades) of HIV-1: A and G. Within a few years of its discovery, it had become the most predominant strain in  Africa and had spread to Central and South America, Central Asia and the Middle  East. It had two characteristic traits other than its genetics: it was  associated with a slightly lower human survival rate and it could be treated with anti-retroviral drugs.

But according to Gashnikova’s papers, the problem with the new CFR02_AG/A has  little to do with these traits. Based on the research she and her colleagues at  Vector have performed and published, this new strain is a rather mysterious  villain that can spread silently and not reveal itself until it is too late.

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