title: Comment on "Evidence for positive epistasis in HIV-1".
abstract: Bonhoeffer et al. (Reports, 26 November 2004, p. 1547) presented evidence for positive epistasis in a clinical data set of HIV-1 mutants and corresponding fitness values. We demonstrate that biases in the original and simulated data sets may lead to erroneous evidence for epistasis. More rigorous statistical tests must be used to account for such biases before one can infer epistasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Mittler
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Samudrala
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015982:Bias; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005838:Genotype; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents