Identifying HIV-1 dual infections

Retrovirology

Table 1 Methods currently used to detect HIV-1 dual infections

Sample availability	Pre-selection method	Able to detect	Follow-up	Discovery of	Limitations	Success rate^a
Single sample	Serotyping (env-V3)	Different subgroups/subtypes only	Sequencing/phylogenetic analysis	Dual infection	Different subgroups/subtypes only	12.2–100%^b
	Heteroduplex mobility assay (HMA)	Viral heterogeneity	Sequencing/phylogenetic analysis	Dual infection	Deletions in env create problems	0–19% ^c
	Degenerate base count in RT	Viral heterogeneity	Sequencing/phylogenetic analysis	Dual infection		≥ 40% ^d
	Multi-region hybridization assay (MHA)	Different subtypes only	None	Dual infection	Different subtypes only	Not determined
	No pre-selection	-	Sequencing/phylogenetic analysis	Dual infection	Low throughput	Low (≤ 1%)
Serial samples	Increase in viral load (VL)	-	Sequencing/phylogenetic analysis	Superinfection	Multiple factors increase VL	14–40% ^e
	No pre-selection	-	Sequencing/phylogenetic analysis	Superinfection	Low throughput	Low (≤ 1%)

^a Defined as the percentage of dual infections detected/samples pre-selected as estimated from published studies.
^b HIV-1 group M/O dual infections only; Vergne et al. and Yamaguchi et al [65,66].
^c Manigart et al., Grobler et al., and Courgnaud et al. [34,60,72].
^d Cornelissen et al. [73].
^e Yerly et al. and Jurriaans et al. [31,59].

ISSN: 1742-4690