Natural polymorphisms in HIV-1 protease: impact on effectiveness of a first-line lopinavir-containing antiretroviral therapy regimen.

Mutations on HIV protease lead to resistance to protease inhibitors. However, resistance development may be different according to primary, secondary or polymorphic mutations. The present study was designed to assess the impact of natural protease mutations on the effectiveness of a first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART), and secondarily, their effect on the initial viral load (VL).