Patterns of HIV-1 Drug-Resistance Mutations among Patients Failing First-Line Antiretroviral Treatment in South India

• Published in: Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care 2016-05, Vol.15 (3), p.261-268
• Main Authors: Thirunavukarasu, Dharmalingam, Udhaya, Visvanathan, Iqbal, Hussain Syed, Umaarasu, Thirunavukarasu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Anti-HIV Agents - pharmacology; Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiretroviral therapy; Drug resistance; Drug Resistance, Viral - drug effects; Drug Resistance, Viral - genetics; Female; GLP-1 receptor agonists; HIV; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - drug effects; HIV-1 - genetics; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; India - epidemiology; Internet; Male; Medical treatment; Molecular Epidemiology; Mutation; Mutation - drug effects; Mutation - genetics; Patients; Phylogeny; Prescription drugs; Prospective Studies; Quality of life; Resistance; Treatment Failure
• ISSN: 2325-9582; 2325-9574; 2325-9582
• DOI: 10.1177/2325957415603508

Background: Although highly active antiretroviral therapy has improved the quality of life among HIV-infected people in India, the emergence of drug resistance along with the limited access and affordability to routine monitoring continues to be a challenge worldwide. Methods: The frequency and patterns of HIV-1 drug-resistance mutations among the first-line failing HIV-infected patients attending a hospital in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, were genotypically analyzed using the online Stanford HIV Database. Results: Of the study patients followed up for 6 months, 23 patients failed first-line therapy and the mutation of I135R/T/V/X, L178 I/M, M184V/I, D67N, K70R, and K103N was most common. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of these patients belonged to HIV subtype C. Conclusion: The study documents the frequency of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations that are prevalent in the first-line failing HIV-infected patients of South Indian region and adds up to the data for developing future algorithms to study the drug-resistance mutations of HIV subtype C. Thus, the results of the study call for the need for rational approach for selecting and for frequent viral monitoring to be performed to detect failure, followed by genotyping.