Interest of proviral HIV-1 DNA genotypic resistance testing in virologically suppressed patients candidate for maintenance therapy

• Published in: Journal of virological methods 2018-01, Vol.251, p.106-110
• Main Authors: Allavena, C., Rodallec, A., Leplat, A., Hall, N., Luco, C., Le Guen, L., Bernaud, C., Bouchez, S., André-Garnier, E., Boutoille, D., Ferré, V., Raffi, F.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Defective virus; DNA genotyping; DNA, Viral - genetics; Genotyping Techniques - methods; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - genetics; HIV-1 provirus; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests - methods; Protease; Proviruses - genetics; Reverse transcriptase; RNA genotyping; RNA, Viral - genetics
• ISSN: 0166-0934; 1879-0984
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2017.10.016

•Usefulness of HIV DNA genotype in virologically suppressed patients.•High concordance rate of mutations on reverse transcriptase and protease.•DNA genotype of defective virus must not be considered.•Perfect phylogenetic concordance between RNA and DNA strains. Switch of antiretroviral therapy in virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients is frequent, to prevent toxicities, for simplification or convenience reasons. Pretherapeutic genotypic resistance testing on RNA can be lacking in some patients, which could enhance the risk of virologic failure, if resistance-associated mutations of the new regimen are not taken into account. Proviral DNA resistance testing in 69 virologically suppressed patients on antiretroviral treatment with no history of virological failure were pair-wised compared with pre-ART plasma RNA resistance testing. The median time between plasma (RNA testing) and whole blood (proviral DNA testing) was 47 months (IQR 29–63). A stop codon was evidenced in 23% (16/69) of proviral DNA sequences; these strains were considered as defective, non-replicative, and not taken into consideration. Within the non defective strains, concordance rate between plasma RNA and non-defective proviral DNA was high both on protease (194/220 concordant resistance-associated mutations=88%) and reverse transcriptase (28/37 concordant resistance-associated mutations=76%) genes. This study supports that proviral DNA testing might be an informative tool before switching antiretrovirals in virologically suppressed patients with no history of virological failure, but the interpretation should be restricted to non-defective viruses.