New HIV variant with more damaging health impacts discovered in Netherlands

Researchers in the Netherlands have discovered a 'highly virulent variant' of HIV that causes a more rapid decline in immune system strength and can result in more damaging health outcomes if not treated early.

The study found that patients infected with the variant of subtype-B HIV-1, dubbed the VB variant, showed "significant" differences before antiretroviral treatment compared with individuals infected with other HIV variants.

According to the study, individuals with the VB variant reported a higher level of the virus in their blood and showed a CD4 cell count that declined twice as fast as those infected with other strains. CD4 cells, also known as T-cells, are a subset of white blood cells that fight infection and protect the body's immune system.

"This means that the virulence normalized by the amount of virus… which for HIV is heritable is much higher for the VB variant," the study's authors wrote.

The findings were published Thursday in Science, the peer-reviewed academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).