NOVEL HIV-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE CODON DELETION AND ITS USE IN THE MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT OF HIV INFECTIONS

摘要

The present invention provides an isolated HIV-1 mutant and isolated nucleic acid molecules comprising HIV-RT coding sequences harboring a novel mutation in the S68 codon, and in particular, deletions of the S68 codon. This novel deletion reduces the sensitivity of HIV to various nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Methods of using this mutation for selecting effective antiretroviral agents in vitro and in vivo, methods for monitoring infection progression in HIV-infected individuals and methods for avoiding the emergence of and/or to treat individuals infected with HIV comprising mutations, including deletions, at the S68 codon of HIV-RT are provided.