1. HIV-1 subtype diversity and phylogenetic insight into non-B subtype transmission in Slovenia, 1989-2013Jana Mlakar, Maja M. Lunar, Ana B Abecasis, Anne-Mieke Vandamme, Janez Tomažič, Tomaž Vovko, Blaž Pečavar, Gabriele Turel, Mario Poljak, 2023, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Introduction: Disease progression, drug resistance mutations, and treatment strategies may vary by HIV-1 subtype. This study determined HIV-1 subtypes circulating in Slovenia, a Central European country with an HIV-1 epidemic driven by men who have sex with men, focusing on molecular epidemiology of non-B subtypes. Methods: A total of 367 HIV-1 sequences were included. Subtype was assigned by employing eight different HIV subtyping tools coupled with maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses. Results: The subtyping tools COMET, jpHMM, and REGA 3.0 exhibited the best performance on the dataset studied. Phylogenetic analyses showed a 14.7% prevalence of non-B subtypes, with subtype A detected most frequently (4.9%), followed by CRF02_AG (2.4%), subtype C (1.1%), subtypes D, G, and CRF01_AE (0.8% each), and subtypes F and CRF22_01A1 (0.3% each). A subtype could not be assigned to 12 sequences (3.3%), indicating potential unique recombinant forms. Non-B subtypes were significantly associated with a heterosexual route of transmission and infection acquired in Eastern Europe, Africa, or Asia. Conclusions: In a country where subtype B is predominant, non-B subtypes were observed in one out of seven patients, a nonnegligible proportion, which underlines the importance of systematic surveillance of HIV subtype diversity and the corresponding molecular epidemiology.
Ključne besede: HIV-1, ne-B podtip, podtipiziranje, filogenija, molekularna epidemiologija, srednja Evropa
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 03.08.2026; Ogledov: 75; Prenosov: 46
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2. Trends and determinants of C virus infection among people living with HIV in Slovenia : a nationwide study, 1986–2024Maja M. Lunar, Katja Seme, Mario Poljak, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: ntroduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) share transmission routes and cause significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Three previous nationwide studies reported a low prevalence of HCV infection among Slovenian people living with HIV (PLWH). Methods: Data were collected de novo from 526 PLWH newly diagnosed with HIV in Slovenia between January 1st, 2014, and December 31st, 2024, and combined with data from previous studies on this topic. Results: Altogether 1,085 (93%) PLWH were tested for HCV at HIV diagnosis: 82 (7.6%) had anti-HCV antibodies (49 or 59.8% of them viremic), and three had HCV RNA only, resulting in an HCV prevalence of 7.8%. A significant increase in the prevalence of HCV infection has been observed over the last decade. HCV infection was significantly associated with female sex, foreign nationality, parenteral HIV transmission route, and non-B HIV subtype. The most frequent HCV genotypes were 1 (60%), 3 (22%), and 4 (16%), markedly different than previously found in the general population. Conclusions: The overall prevalence of HCV infection among PLWH in Slovenia remains low, but a significant increase has been observed in the last decade compared to the previous one. Such a situation requires further regular and tight monitoring to allow timely interventions if and when needed.
Ključne besede: HIV, hepatitis C, prevalence, Slovenia
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 02.07.2026; Ogledov: 230; Prenosov: 173
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3. Sustained circulation of enterovirus D68 in Europe in 2023 and the continued evolution of enterovirus D68 B3-lineages associated with distinct amino acid substitutions in VP1 proteinAurora Hirvonen, Caroline K. Johannesen, Peter Simmonds, Thea K Fischer, Kimberley Benschop, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) causes respiratory disease ranging from mild to severe and in rare cases a paralytic syndrome, called acute flaccid myelitis (AFM). Since the global EV-D68 outbreak in 2014, the virus has mainly circulated in biennial epidemic cycles with peaks detected during even years. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, the seasonal pattern of EV-D68 has been characterized by large yearly upsurges. Here, we describe the circulation of EV-D68 in Europe in 2023 and track its genetic evolution. Study design Data was compiled from members of the European Non-Polio Network (ENPEN). This included monthly data on the total number of EV samples tested, EV positive samples, EV-D68 positive samples and cases, and other EV positive samples detected in 2023. Information on sample types and surveillance system was recorded. Sequence data from the VP1 gene was used for phylogenetic and amino acid sequence analysis. Results EV was detected in 13,585 out of 203,622 diagnostic samples tested (6.7 %), of which 402 (3.0 %) were determined as EV-D68, representing 386 cases. EV-D68 infections peaked in October 2023 (136/386; 35.2 %). 267/386 (69.2 %) of EV-D68 cases were captured through clinical EV surveillance, almost all of which (202/204 of positive samples with sample type information) were detected in respiratory specimens. Phylogenetic analysis performed on 99 VP1 sequences revealed a distinct B3-derived lineage with a previously undescribed residue change, D554E, in Europe. Conclusions The study documents sustained circulation of EV-D68 in Europe in 2023, the evolution of B3-derived lineages, and appearance of previously undescribed amino acid substitutions in Europe. This stresses the need for continuous EV-D68 surveillance and harmonization of EV-D68 detection practices towards better data comparability across countries.
Ključne besede: Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), Europe, Epidemiology, B3-derived, lineages, Surveillance
Objavljeno v DiRROS: 27.06.2025; Ogledov: 1109; Prenosov: 818
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