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J. Virol., Jun 1997, 4694-4706, Vol 71, No. 6
F Salvatori, S Masiero, C Giaquinto, CM Wade, AJ Brown, L Chieco-Bianchi and A De Rossi
We addressed the relationship between the origin and evolution of human
immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) variants and disease outcome in
perinatally infected infants by studying the V3 regions of viral variants
in samples obtained from five transmitting mothers at delivery and obtained
sequentially over the first year of life from their infected infants, two
of whom (rapid progressors) rapidly progressed to having AIDS. Phylogenetic
analyses disclosed that the V3 sequences from each mother-infant pair
clustered together and were clearly distinct from those of the other pairs.
Within each pair, the child's sequences formed a monophyletic group,
indicating that a single variant initiated the infection in both rapid and
slow progressors. Plasma HIV-1 RNA levels increased in all five infants
during their first months of life and then declined within the first
semester of life only in the three slow progressors. V3 variability
increased over time in all infants, but no differences in the pattern of V3
evolution in terms of potential viral phenotype were observed. The numbers
of synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions varied during the first
semester of life regardless of viral load, CD4+-cell count, and disease
progression. Conversely, during the second semester of life the rate of
nonsynonymous substitutions was higher than that of synonymous
substitutions in the slow progressors but not in the rapid progressors,
thus suggesting a stronger host selective pressure in the former. In view
of the proposal that V3 genetic evolution is driven mainly by host immune
constraints, these findings suggest that while the immune response to V3
might contribute to regulating viral levels after the first semester of
life, it is unlikely to play a determinant role in the initial viral
decline soon after birth.
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology
Evolution of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in perinatally infected infants with rapid and slow progression to disease
Department of Oncology and Surgical Sciences, AIDS Reference Center, University of Padova, Italy.
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