Detection of low-level K65R variants in nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-naive chronic and acute HIV-1 subtype C infections

To substantiate reports of greater emergence of the K65R nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) mutation in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype C, we examined natural low-level K65R expression in subtype C relative to subtypes B and AE. We used allele-specific polymerase chain reaction to screen HIV-1 amplified by reverse-transcription high-fidelity polymerase chain reaction from subtype C-infected South African women and infants and CRF01(subtype AE) from Thailand; all subjects were NRTI naive. We found low-level K65R of unknown clinical significance in NRTI-naive subtype C-infected women and infants at frequencies above the natural occurrence in subtypes B and AE. The frequent appearance of subtype C frameshift deletions at codon 65 supports a propensity for transcription error in this region.