Patterns of HIV-1 evolution in individuals with differing rates of CD4 T cell decline.

ABSTRACT: Evolution of HIV-1 env sequences was studied in 15 seroconverting injection drug users selected for differences in the extent of CD4 T cell decline. The rates of increase of either sequence diversity at a given visit or divergence from the first seropositive visit were both higher in progressors than in nonprogressors. Viral evolution in individuals with rapid or moderate disease progression showed selection favoring nonsynonymous mutations, while nonprogressors with low viral loads selected against the nonsynonymous mutations that might have resulted in viruses with higher levels of replication. For 10 of the 15 subjects no single variant predominated over time. Evolution away from a dominant variant was followed frequently at a later time point by return to dominance of strains closely r

SUBMITTER: Markham RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC22871 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature