HIV-2 protease sequences of subtypes A and B harbor multiple mutations associated with protease inhibitor resistance in HIV-1.

Background: HIV-1 protease inhibitors (PI) have been used for treating HIV-2-infected persons but little is known about amino acid mutations associated with PI resistance in HIV-2 and whether they are similar to those seen in HIV-1.

Objective: To determine the frequency of HIV-1 PI resistance-associated mutations in PI-naive HIV-2-infected individuals.

Design: Using PCR, protease genes were amplified from 76 individuals, directly sequenced, phylogenetically subtyped, and translated into amino acids to analyze PI-associated major and minor mutations.