Deadly HIV mutations revealed: Impact on global virus diversity
The study looked at how HIV-1 mutates and affects its ability to replicate in the body. By analyzing genetic data from untreated HIV-1 infections, researchers found that mutations occur at a rate of 1.2 x 10 -5 per site per day. Most mutations that change the virus's genetic code make it less effective at replicating. Half of these harmful mutations have a big impact on the virus's fitness, while most mutations that don't change the genetic code much have a smaller effect. These findings were consistent across different patients, suggesting that harmful mutations play a big role in shaping the diversity of HIV-1.