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 a more damaging health outcome if not treated early.

This study, which was published in the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, revealed that the patients infected with the variant of subtype-B HIV-1 dubbed the VB variant, showed significant differences before antiretroviral treatment compared with individuals who have been infected with other HIV variants.

The VB variant was first identified in 17 HIV-positive individuals, 15 of whom were from the Netherlands.

Additionally, the study revealed that individuals with the VB variant reported a higher level of the virus in their blood and showed a CD4 (white blood cell) cell count that declined twice as fast as those infected with other strains.

“This means that the virulence normalised by the amount of virus which for HIV is heritable is much higher for the VB variant,” the study authors wrote.

Furthermore, the VB variant spreads more quickly than other variants on a whole.