R77Q and Q3R HIV1-VPR mutations in an otherwise asymptomatic 5-year-old child with repeated ear infections

INTRODUCTION: Viral protein R (Vpr) of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has been described as being involved in the progression of AIDS, and specific mutations are associated with long-term non-progressor patients. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a child with repeated ear infections who was otherwise healthy. The patient, a 5-year-old boy, was HIV-1 positive and the viral load at admission was 1 073 899 RNA copies ml(−1) and 0 % CD4(+) lymphocytes. A detailed study of the vpr gene sequence of the child revealed mutations leading to amino acid substitutions at positions 3 and 77. CONCLUSION: The case reported provides clinical support of previous findings that show that the R77Q and Q3R HIV-1 Vpr variants are associated with patients with delayed disease progression.