A cluster of rapid disease progressors upon primary HIV-1 infection shared a novel variant with mutations in the p6gag/pol and pol/vif genes.

Few studies have described the etiologic factors associated with rapid AIDS onset during primary HIV-1 infection. Our molecular epidemiological study identified a cluster of individuals infected with HIV-1 variants characterized by novel mutations in the p6 and pol/vif genes during 2011 and 2013 in Osaka, Japan. Individuals positive for the novel HIV-1 variant showed rapid disease progression, suggesting a role of viral mutations in the fostering of the clinical course of HIV-1 infection.