Flexible use of CCR5 in the absence of CXCR4 use explains the immune deficiency in HIV-1 infected children.
DESIGN:: CCR5-using HIV-1 (R5 viruses) are usually isolated during acute infection from both adults and children. We have recently demonstrated that R5 viruses with a flexible use of CCR5 (called R5broad) can be detected in children close to birth and are predictive of a fast immunological failure. The aim of the present work was to investigate viral phenotype variation during disease progression