Peptide insertions in reverse transcriptase pol gene of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 as a rare cause of persistent antiretroviral therapeutic failure.

Peptide insertions in codons 67-71 of the reverse transcriptase (RT) pol gene were detected in 11 (2.7%) of 414 genotypic analyses performed in a hospital cohort of 2900 outpatients with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. The duration of antiretroviral treatment (bi- or tri-therapy) before the detection of insertions ranged from 12 to 60 months.