The possibilities of using HIV-1 molecular cluster analysis to study the epidemic process of HIV infection

Surveillance of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection has a number of limitations related to the long-term asymptomatic course of the disease, a high level of stigmatization of HIV-infected individuals, as well as the difficulty of collecting information on the mechanisms of HIV-1 transmission. In these conditions, genomic surveillance is becoming important, which allows for obtaining objective data on the structure and dynamics of the epidemic process. One of the main tools of genomic surveillance is the analysis of HIV-1 molecular clusters. This review presents the possibilities of using the analysis of HIV-1 molecular clusters to study the features of the epidemic process of HIV infection, as well as describes the methodological and ethical aspects of using this method in the system of surveillance of HIV infection.