BBC News Online: World: Europe

A new genetic mutation to help resist HIV

French scientists have found a new genetic mutation which they say helps make people resistant to HIV, the virus which can lead to AIDS.

The discovery -- reported by the British medical magazine, the Lancet -- follows research into why some people never become infected with HIV despite repeated exposure to infection.

Another genetic mutation responsible for such resistance was identified two years ago.

The BBC Science reporter says the mutation is not common, but it can prove useful for the development of anti-HIV drugs.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service