A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands

Science. 2022 Feb 4;375(6580):540-545. doi: 10.1126/science.abk1688. Epub 2022 Feb 3.

Abstract

We discovered a highly virulent variant of subtype-B HIV-1 in the Netherlands. One hundred nine individuals with this variant had a 0.54 to 0.74 log10 increase (i.e., a ~3.5-fold to 5.5-fold increase) in viral load compared with, and exhibited CD4 cell decline twice as fast as, 6604 individuals with other subtype-B strains. Without treatment, advanced HIV-CD4 cell counts below 350 cells per cubic millimeter, with long-term clinical consequences-is expected to be reached, on average, 9 months after diagnosis for individuals in their thirties with this variant. Age, sex, suspected mode of transmission, and place of birth for the aforementioned 109 individuals were typical for HIV-positive people in the Netherlands, which suggests that the increased virulence is attributable to the viral strain. Genetic sequence analysis suggests that this variant arose in the 1990s from de novo mutation, not recombination, with increased transmissibility and an unfamiliar molecular mechanism of virulence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anti-HIV Agents / therapeutic use
  • CD4 Lymphocyte Count
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Female
  • Genome, Viral
  • Genotype
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy
  • HIV Infections / immunology
  • HIV Infections / transmission
  • HIV Infections / virology*
  • HIV-1 / genetics
  • HIV-1 / pathogenicity*
  • HIV-1 / physiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mutation
  • Netherlands
  • Phylogeny
  • Viral Load
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Anti-HIV Agents