Frequency of the CCR5 Δ32 mutant allele in HIV-1-positive patients, female sex workers, and a normal population in Taiwan

A specific 32-nucleotide deletion mutant of the CCR5 gene (Δccr5), the coreceptor gene for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), can effectively suppress the transmission and pathogenesis of the virus. Individuals homozygous for the Δccr5 allele resist primary macrophage- tropic HIV-1 infection, despite multiple high-risk sexual exposures. This gene deletion is relatively common among Caucasians but uncommon among Africans, Asians, and South Americans. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to determine the frequency of the Δccr5 allele in a Taiwanese population with diverse health status and social backgrounds. Subjects included 24 HIV-l-infected persons in the northern and southern parts of Taiwan; 131 HIV-1 high-risk, licensed female sex workers in the northern part of the island (21% of whom were aborigines); and 187 unrelated, healthy, HIV-1-negative individuals in southern Taiwan. PCR with primers encompassing the entire CCR5 gene was used to explore possible deletions at regions other than the 32-nucleotide area in the female sex workers. No ccr5 deletions were detected, indicating that they are rare or absent in the Taiwanese population. This finding implies that Δccr5 is not likely to be part of the defense against the spread of HIV-1 infection in Taiwanese.