Human immunodeficiency virus in Uzbekistan: epidemiological and genetic analyses.

This study investigates the molecular epidemiology of HIV in Uzbekistan--a former Soviet Union (FSU) country located in central Asia. A total of 18,910,370 subjects were involved in an HIV serological examination through a population survey conducted in 1987-2002. Rapid changes in epidemiological dynamics and transmission modes have been observed since 1999: incidence rose from 25 newly HIV-infected subjects per year to more than 100 new cases per month within the first half of 2002, and the rate of intravenous drug use (IVDU)-associated HIV infection increased to 75% per year during the same period.