NORTH CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Abbott (ABT) said that its scientists identified a new subtype of the human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, called HIV-1 Group M, subtype L. The discovery marked the first time a new subtype of HIV-1 has been identified since 2000.
Abbott stated that the new findings show the role next-generation genome sequencing is playing in helping researchers stay one step ahead of mutating viruses and avoiding new pandemics.
Group M viruses are responsible for the global pandemic, which can be traced back to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Three cases must be discovered independently to determine whether an unusual virus is in fact a new HIV subtype. The first two samples of this subtype were discovered in DRC in the 1980s and the 1990s. The third, collected in 2001, was difficult to sequence at that time because of the amount of virus in the sample and the existing technology.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX