Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40431281›Full record

ArticleMicroorganisms2025

Distinct Molecular Epidemiology, Transmission Patterns, and Resistance Mutations of HIV-1 Subtypes A1, A6, and A7 in Bulgaria.

Aleksandra Partsuneva, Anna Gancheva, Reneta Dimitrova, Lyubomira Grigorova, Asya Kostadinova, Maria Nikolova, Radoslava Emilova, Nina Yancheva, Rusina Grozdeva, Ivailo Alexiev

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Microorganisms, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Genotypic Analysis ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Aleksandra PartsunevaNational Reference Confirmatory Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Anna GanchevaNational Reference Confirmatory Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Reneta DimitrovaNational Reference Confirmatory Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0001-7711-6798
Lyubomira GrigorovaNational Reference Confirmatory Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0001-8563-5520
Asya KostadinovaNational Reference Confirmatory Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Maria NikolovaNational Reference Laboratory of Immunology, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Radoslava EmilovaNational Reference Laboratory of Immunology, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-0018-1361
Nina YanchevaSpecialized Hospital for Active Treatment of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-0095-263X
Rusina GrozdevaSpecialized Hospital for Active Treatment of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Ivailo AlexievNational Reference Confirmatory Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria.ORCID 0000-0002-3186-1124

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

By 2022, Bulgaria's National Reference Laboratory had confirmed 4024 HIV cases. We analyzed 132 pol gene sequences to characterize the molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 subtypes A1, A6, and A7 (2001-2022). A1 accounted for 50.0% (66/132) of cases, increasing after 2014, with peaks in 2019 and 2022. A6 comprised 48.5% (64/132), dominating from 2005 to 2014 before stabilizing. A7 was rare (1.5%, 2/132), detected in 2003 and 2011. Transmission patterns varied: A1 was linked to men who have sex with men (MSM) (62.1%), while A6 was primarily heterosexual (HET) (82.8%) with a balanced gender distribution (56.3% male, 43.8% female). Resistance mutations were identified in 29.6% of cases, with A6 showing higher rates of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) (20.3%) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) (7.8%) resistance than A1. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 13 Bulgarian sequences (9.8%) were involved in transmission clusters, including 10 (7.6%) from sub-subtype A1 and 3 (2.3%) from sub-subtype A6, highlighting distinct genetic diversity and transmission patterns. Despite significant migration from Ukraine in 2022, A6 prevalence remained unchanged, suggesting localized transmission dynamics. These findings highlight a shifting HIV-1 sub-subtype distribution in Bulgaria and emphasize the need for targeted prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies tailored to the evolving molecular landscape.

Indexed as

BulgariaHIV-1molecular epidemiologyphylogenetic analysisresistance mutationssubtype A1subtype A6subtype A7

Identifiers

PMID40431281
PMCPMC12114506

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.