Abstract
The moment in history when subtypes of the human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1 became distinguishable is hotly debated1,2. Zhu et al.3 have provided a unique HIV-1 sequence from 1959, known as ZR59. Based on the position of ZR59 in phylogenetic trees and its distance from the common node of the viral B/D/F-subtype lineages, they suggest that subtypes B and D have evolved from a single introduction “not long before 1959”, and that HIV-1 group M viruses probably shared a common ancestor “in the 1940s or the early 1950s”. Here we caution against such precise dating of these evolutionary events.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Myers, G. AIDS Res. Hum. Retroviruses 10, 1317–1324 (1994).
Goudsmit, J. Viral Sex: The Nature of AIDS (Oxford Univ. Press, 1997).
Zhu, T. et al. Nature 391, 594–597 (1998).
Lukashov, V. V. & Goudsmit, J. J. Virol. 71, 6332–6338 (1997).
Korber, B., Theiler, J. & Wolinsky, S. Science 280, 1868–1871 (1998).
Lukashov, V. V., Kuiken, C. L. & Goudsmit, J. J. Virol. 69, 6911–6916 (1995).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goudsmit, J., Lukashov, V. Dating the origin of HIV-1 subtypes. Nature 400, 325–326 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/22454
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/22454
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
