The prevalence of HIV-1 Group O Infection in Cameroon , 1986 – 1998

Emerging Infectious Diseases Vol. 7, No. 3, May–June 2001 466 HIV-1 group O (HIV-1/O) was first identified in Cameroon in 1994 (1), raising concern about the emergence of a new HIV-1 variant, with implications for public health and blood safety. Anti-HIV-1/O antibodies are weakly detected by some HIV-1 screening tests (2), and the natural resistance of most HIV-1/O strains to nonnucleoside inhibitors of reverse transcriptase limits their use in preventing vertical transmission (3).