Phenotypic characterisation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 Envelope entry efficiency of transmitted/founder variants circulating in Mbeya, Tanzania

Abstract

Background: Altered fitness of transmitted founder (T/F) HIV-1 variants has been linked to slowed disease progression, yet almost all of these studies have focussed on the role of attenuating immune escape mutations in T/F Gag or entry efficiency of Envelope (Env) in long-term non-progressors (LTNP) and elite suppressors (ES) during chronic stages of infection. As Env could also play an important role in viral fitness during early infection, we investigated if T/F Env entry efficiency, prior to immune selection, affected viral loads of progressors in vivo.