Using phylogenetic analysis to trace HIV-1 migration among western European injecting drug users seroconverting from 1984 to 1997.

Objective: To reconstruct the epidemiological relationships of the HIV epidemics among injecting drug users (IDU) in western Europe.

Methods: HIV env V3 sequences of and epidemiological data were obtained from 145 IDU who seroconverted in three sequential periods: 1984-1988, 1989-1992 and 1993-1997. The sequences were phylogenetically analysed and examined for signature patterns characteristic of northern European IDU, including the conserved GGC codon in the V3 loop.