The SNP S180L was determined in a cohort of 179 HIV-1 infected Greek patients. Analysis of the prevalence of this SNP in relation to the infectious complications was evaluated.
One hundred and thirty-two (73.3 % ) patients were bearing the wild type haplotype, 43 (24 % ) were heterozygous for the SNP, and four (2.2 % ) were homozygous for the variant allele. The individuals with a nadir CD4 count <200 cells/mm3 who carried the 180L variant demonstrated a 4-fold decrease in the odds ratio (OR) for any serious infection compared with those who carried the wild-type 180S genotype (OR 0.58 vs OR 2.6, p = 0.016).
This study suggest a protection effect of the Mal S180L SNP against serious infections in HIV-1 infected individuals with low CD4 cell counts.