HIV i-Base

revertant mutation

revertant mutation – this term is used in two ways. Firstly when referring to a genetic change that shows the virus is returning to a wild-type genotype.

It can also refer to the fitness of a virus. A revertant mutation can also refer to an additional mutation that allows the virus to return to a wild-type phenotype. The second example is also called a compensatory mutation as is compensates for the reduced fitness caused by the first mutations.