A new variant of HIV has been identified that is more virulent and more easily transmitted. The discovery was made by an international team of scientists from Oxford University.
A study published in the journal Science shows that the new variant of the virus has spread in the Netherlands in recent decades and has already infected more than 100 people.
Those infected with the new variant, called VB, have between 3.5 and 5.5 times the viral load (virus levels in the blood) than those infected with other strains of subtype B of HIV. This means that the risk of transmitting the virus is higher.
In addition, the new variant has a lower CD4 cell count, which increases the risk of developing AIDS much faster if left untreated. After starting treatment in people with VB, the recovery of the immune system and the level of survival are similar to those in those infected with other types of HIV. However, scientists say it is crucial to start treatment as soon as possible, as the new option causes a faster weakening of the immune system’s resistance.
The discovery raises the question of how important it is for people at risk of contracting HIV to have access to periodic testing for early diagnosis and immediate treatment, said epidemiologist Christoph Fraser, head of the team that conducted the study.
“This limits the amount of time that HIV can damage the immune system and endanger a person’s life. It also ensures that HIV is suppressed as early as possible, which will prevent it from being passed on to others,” he said.
The new option was established for the first time in 17 people, 15 of whom are from the Netherlands. This has prompted scientists to analyze the data of thousands of Dutch people living with HIV. Thus, another 92 people were identified with this option, bringing their total number to 109.
After analyzing the genomes of the new variant of the virus, scientists believe that the VB variant first appeared in the late 1980s and early 1990s in the Netherlands, but its prevalence in the country has decreased since 2010. However, the reasons for this so far are unknown.
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