An international collaboration led by researchers at the University of Oxford's Big Data Institute uncovered a new, highly virulent strain of the HIV-1 virus in the Netherlands.
Highly Virulent HIV Strain That Progresses To AIDS Faster Found In Netherlandsunsplash.com
Their findings, published on Thursday in the journal Science, revealed that patients infected with the "VB variant" had 3.5 to 5.5 times more quantities of the virus in their blood than those infected with other variants, as well as a faster fading immune system.
The study also discovered that after starting treatment, those with the VB variant had similar immune system recovery and survival rates as people with other HIV variants.