Sensitivity of V75I HIV-1 reverse transcriptase mutant selected in vitro by acyclovir to anti-HIV drugs.

Trials of acyclovir for herpes simplex virus 2 infection in herpes simplex virus 2/HIV-1 coinfected patients not on antiretroviral therapy demonstrated a decrease in herpes simplex virus 2 and HIV-1 replication. Recent studies indicated that acyclovir has direct anti-HIV-1 activity and can select for the HIV-1 V75I reverse transcriptase variant in vitro. We show that the V75I variant has decreased sensitivity to some nucleoside analogs but an increased sensitivity to zidovudine, results that may guide selection of highly active antiretroviral therapy regimens in patients harboring this variant.