Four new strains of HIV-1 have been discovered in Cyprus

Chichek Topchu, a Cyprus-Turkish scientist and graduate student at the Faculty of Biology at the University of Cyprus, made the discovery. According to local media reports, the new strains were identified as part of her doctoral dissertation. The results of her scientific work were published on December 21, 2023, in a biological journal under the title "Comprehensive Genetic Characterization of Four New Circulating Recombinant Forms of HIV-1 (CRF129_56G, CRF130_A1B, CRF131_A1B, and CRF138_cpx). Molecular Epidemiology Results in Cyprus."

Chichek Topchu worked on her doctoral dissertation in collaboration with a research group led by Professor Leondios Kostrikis, the head of the Laboratory of Biology and Molecular Virology at the University of Cyprus.

The discovery is considered a significant milestone in the study of HIV-1 as it provides a comprehensive genetic characterization of four new recombinant strains and detailed information about their genetic diversity and the development of infection on the island.

The research indicates that two out of the four new strains were imported to the island from other countries, while two originated locally.