HIV-1 infection has increased among women in recent years. The HIV-1 env gene (structural gene) has the greatest variation in all the HIV gene regions. In this study, 58 samples from infants infected with HIV-1 via perinatal transmission were analyzed. All the 58 samples were submitted to Nested-polymerase chain reaction of the env gene region for posterior viral genotyping using EN 70 and EN 85 (first polymerase chain reaction) and EN 80 and EN 95 (second polymerase chain reaction) primers, with the product of the 682 base pair amplification. After Nested-polymerase chain reaction for genotyping, purification of the product, and direct sequencing in a MegaBace 1000 automatic sequencer, 56 genotypes were found in the 58 HIV-1-positive children of the study, where 47 (83.93%) were HIV-1 subtype B infected and 9 (16.07%) were HIV-1 subtype F1 infected. The results demonstrate the predominance of subtype B followed by subtype F in Southeast Brazil. © 2009 Sage Publications.82106112Richtmann, R., (1999) Prevenção da Transmissão Vertical Do HIV. Infectividade: Informativo de Epidemiologia Hospitalar, p. 3. , Sao Paulo, p. Dez / Jan;Boisson, E., Nicoll, A., Zaba, B., Rodrigues, L.C., Interpreting HIV seroprevalence data from pregnant women (1996) J Acquir Immun Defic Syndr, 13, pp. 34-439Bulterys, M., Goedert, J.J., From biology to sexual behaviour - Towards the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (1996) AIDS, 10 (11), pp. 1287-1289Luciw, P.A., Human immunodeficiency viruses and their replication (1996) Fundamental Virology, pp. 845-916. , Fields BN, Howley PM, Knipe DM, eds. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott-Raven Publishers;Castro, B.M., Ferreira, O.C., Bongertz, V., Vacinas contra HIV/ AIDS: Desenvolvimento e Perspectivas. Cadernos Tecnicos do Programa Nacional de Doenças Sexualmente Transmissí veis e AIDS (1994) Secretaria de Assistência À Saúde: Ministerio da Saude, 1, pp. 5-9Hu, D.J., Dondero, T.J., Rayfield, M.A., George, J.R., Schochetman, G., Jaffe, H.W., Luo, C.-C., Curran, J.W., The emerging genetic diversity of HIV: The importance of global surveillance for diagnostics, research, and prevention (1996) Journal of the American Medical Association, 275 (3), pp. 210-216. , DOI 10.1001/jama.275.3.210Herring, B.L., Ge, Y.C., Wang, B., Ratnamohan, M., Zheng, F., Cunningham, A.L., Saksena, N.K., Dwyer, D.E., Segregation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtypes by risk factor in Australia (2003) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41 (10), pp. 4600-4604. , DOI 10.1128/JCM.41.10.4600-4604.2003Sherefa, K., Sallberg, M., Johansson, B., Salminen, M., Sonnerborg, A., Subtyping of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 strains by using antibodies specific for the third variable domain (V3) of gp120: Results may be affected by divergent V3 sequences (1997) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 35 (9), pp. 2419-2421Lara, C., Sallberg, M., Johansson, B., De Rivera, I.L., Sonnerborg, A., The Honduran human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) epidemic is dominated by HIV-1 subtype B as determined by V3 domain sero- and genotyping (1997) Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 35 (3), pp. 783-784Cerqueira, D.M., Amorim, R.M.S., Silva, R.R., Camara, G.N.L., Brigido, M.M., Martins, C.R.F., Antiretroviral resistance and genetic diversity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 isolates from the Federal District, Central Brazil (2004) Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 99 (8), pp. 877-882Plantier, J.C., Pogam, S.L., Poisson, L.B., Buzelay, L., Lejeune, B., Barin, F., Extent of antigenic diversity in the V3 region of the surface glicoprotein, gp 120, of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 group M and consequenses for serotyping (1998) J Virol, 72, pp. 677-683Morgado, M.G., Guimaraes, M.L., Galvao-Castro, B., HIV-1 polymorphism: A challenge for vaccine development - A review (2002) Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 97 (2), pp. 143-150Machado, E.S., Lambert, J.S., Afonso, A.O., Cunha, S.M., Oliveira, R.H., Tanuri, A., Sill, A.M., Soares, M.A., Overview of genotypic and clinical profiles of human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected children in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2004) Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias, 76 (4), pp. 727-741Bello, G., Passaes, C.P., Guimaraes, M.L., Origin and evolutionary history of HIV-1 subtype C in Brazil (2008) AIDS, 22, pp. 1993-2000Delwart, E.L., Shpaer, E.G., Louwagie, J., McCutchan, F.E., Grez, M., Rubsamen-Waigmann, H., Mullins, J.I., Genetic relationships determined by a DNA heteroduplex mobility assay: Analysis of HIV-1 env genes (1993) Science, 262 (5137), pp. 1257-1261Barin, F., Courouce, A.-M., Pillonel, J., Buzelay, L., Increasing diversity of HIV-1(M) serotypes in French blood donors over a 10-year period (1985-1995) (1997) AIDS, 11 (12), pp. 1503-1508Workshop Report from the European Commission (DG XLL, INCO-DC) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. HIV-1 Subtypes: Implications for Epidemiology, Pathogenicity, Vaccines and Diagnostics (1997) AIDS, 11, pp. 17-36Alimohammadi, A., Coker, R., Miller, R., Mitchell, D., Williamson, J., Clarke, J., Genotypic variants of HIV-1 from peripheral blood and lungs of AIDS patients [10] (1997) AIDS, 11 (6), pp. 831-832Paladin, F.J.E., Monzon, O.T., Tsuchie, H., Aplasca, M.R.A., Learn Jr., G.H., Kurimura, T., Genetic subtypes of HIV-1 in the Philippines (1998) AIDS, 12 (3), pp. 291-300. , DOI 10.1097/00002030-199803000-00007Plantier, J.C., Vergne, L., Damond, F., Development and evaluation of a DNA enzyme immunoassay method for env genotyping of subtypes A through G of human immunodificiency virus type 1 group m, with discrimination of the circulating recombinant forms CRF01-AE and CRF02-AG (2002) J Clin Microbiol, 40, pp. 1010-1022Bryson, Y.J., Perinatal HIV-1 transmission: Recent advances and therapeutic interventions (1996) AIDS, 10 (3), pp. 33-S42Renjifo, B., Chaplin, B., Mwakagile, D., Shah, P., Vannberg, F., Msamanga, G., Hunter, D., Essex, M., Epidemic expansion of HIV type 1 subtype C and recombinant genotypes in Tanzania (1998) AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, 14 (7), pp. 635-638Van Harmelen, J.H., Van Der Ryst, E., Loubser, A.S., York, D., Madurai, S., Lyons, S., Wood, R., Williamson, C., A predominantly HIV type 1 subtype C-restricted epidemic in South African urban populations (1999) AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, 15 (4), pp. 395-398. , DOI 10.1089/088922299311376Rodenburg, C.M., Li, Y., Trask, S.A., Chen, Y., Decker, J., Robertson, D.L., Kalish, M.L., Zolla-Pazner, S., Near full-length clones and reference sequences for subtype C isolates of HIV type 1 from three different continents (2001) AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, 17 (2), pp. 161-168. , DOI 10.1089/08892220150217247Soares, M.A., De Oliveira, T., Brindeiro, R.M., Diaz, R.S., Sabino, E.C., Brigido, L., Pires, I.L., Teixeira, P., A specific subtype C of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 circulates in Brazil (2003) AIDS, 17 (1), pp. 11-21. , DOI 10.1097/00002030-200301030-00004Santos, A.F., Sousa, T.M., Soares, E.A.J.M., Sanabani, S., Martinez, A.M.B., Sprinz, E., Silveira, J., Soares, M.A., Characterization of a new circulating recombinant form comprising HIV-1 subtypes C and B in southern Brazil (2006) AIDS, 20 (16), pp. 2011-2019. , DOI 10.1097/01.aids.0000247573.95880.db, PII 0000203020061024000003Sanabani, S., Neto, W.K., De Sa Filho, D.J., Diaz, R.S., Munerato, P., Janini, L.M., Sabino, E.C., Full-length genome analysis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtype C in Brazil (2006) AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, 22 (2), pp. 171-176. , DOI 10.1089/aid.2006.22.171Thomson, M.M., Perez-Alvarez, L., Najera, R., Molecular epidemiology of HIV-1 genetic forms and its significance for vaccine development and therapy (2002) Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2 (8), pp. 461-471. , DOI 10.1016/S1473-3099(02)00343-2Sabino, E.C., Diaz, R.S., Brigido, L.F., Learn, G.H., Mullins, J.I., Reingold, A.L., Duarte, A.J.S., Busch, M.P., Distribution of HIV-1 subtypes seen in an AIDS clinic in Sao Paulo City, Brazil (1996) AIDS, 10 (13), pp. 1579-1584Cavalcanti, A.M.S., Lacerda, H.R., De Brito, A.M., Pereira, S., Medeiros, D., Oliveira, S., Antiretroviral resistance in individuals presenting therapeutic failure and subtypes of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in the Northeast Region of Brazil (2007) Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 102 (7), pp. 785-792. , http://memorias.ioc.fiocruz.br/5774.pdfFontella, R., Soares, A.M., Schrago, C.G., On the origino f HIV-1 subtype C in South America (2008) AIDS, 22, pp. 2001-2011Sandstrom, P.A., Folks, T.M., New strategies for treating AIDS (1996) BioEssays, 18 (5), pp. 343-346Gadelha, R.S., Shindo, N., Cruz, J.M.N., Morgado, M.G., Galvao-Castro, B., Molecular epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus-1 in the state of Ceara, Northest, Brazil (2003) Men Inst Oswaldo Cruz, 98, pp. 461-464Soares, E.A., Martinez, A.M., Souza, T.M., HIV-1 subtype C dissemination in southern Brazil (2005) AIDS, 19 (4), pp. 81-S86