Surveillance of HIV type 1 drug resistance among naive patients from Venezuela.

We have studied 65 HIV-1-infected untreated patients recruited in Caracas, Venezuela with TCD4 counts > or =350/microl. The reverse transcriptase and protease sequences of the virus were sequenced, aligned with reference HIV-1 group M strains, and analyzed for drug resistance mutations. Most of the viruses were subtype B genotype in both the protease and RT genomic regions. Five of the 62 virus isolates successfully amplified showed evidence of recombination between protease and RT, with their protease region being non-B while their RT region was derived from subtype B. Four strains were found bearing resistance mutations either to NRTIs, NNRTIs, or PIs. The prevalence of HIV-1 isolates bearing resistance mutations was therefore above the 5% threshold of WHO

Characterization of HIV-1 Isolates from Antiretroviral Drug-Naive Children in Southern India

Access to antiretroviral therapy has expanded in many developing countries, including India. The standard first-line regimens consist of a combination of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, in a fixed drug combination. Data regarding resistance to these drugs are scarce, especially in children. We evaluated the pattern of polymorphism and potential drug resistance mutations (DRMs) in HIV-1 isolates from 48 children naive to antiretroviral therapy attending the outpatient clinics of the Tuberculosis Research Center in Chennai. The samples were subjected to genotyping of reverse transcriptase (RT) and protease genes. All the samples showed significant polymorphisms in both RT and protease genes, but none had major DRMs. The currently recommended generic first-line antiretroviral drug combination is an appropriate treatment strategy for HIV-1-infected children in India