Journal of Clinical Virology, 2014, 01, 154─160

The prevalence of antiretroviral multidrug resistance in highly activeantiretroviral therapy-treated patients with HIV/AIDS between 2004and 2009 in South Korea

Ju-yeon Choi, O Kwon, B Choi, M Kee,M Park, S Kim

Abstract

Background
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) including protease inhibitors (PIs) has beenused in South Korea since 1997. Currently, more than 20 types of antiretroviral drugs are used in thetreatment of human immunodeficiency virus-infected/acquired immune deficiency syndrome patients inSouth Korea. Despite the rapid development of various antiretroviral drugs, many drug-resistant variantshave been reported after initiating HAART, and the efficiency of HAART is limited by these variants.Objectives: To investigate and estimate the annual antiretroviral drug resistance and prevalence ofantiretroviral multi-class drug resistance in Korean patients with experience of treatment.
Study design
The amplified HIV-1 pol gene in 535 patients requested for genotypic drug resistance test-ing from 2004 to 2009 by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was sequenced andanalyzed annually and totally. The prevalence of antiretroviral drug resistance was estimated based on“SIR” interpretation of the Stanford sequence database.Results: Of viruses derived from 787 specimens, 380 samples (48.3%) showed at least one drug class-related resistance. Predicted NRTI drug resistance was highest at 41.9%. NNRTI showed 27.2% resistancewith 23.3% for PI. The percent of annual drug resistance showed similar pattern and slightly declinedexcept 2004 and 2005. The prevalence of multi-class drug resistance against each drug class was:NRTI/NNRTI/PI, 9.8%; NRTI/PI, 21.9%; NNRTI/PI, 10.4%; and NRTI/NNRTI, 21.5%.
Conclusions
About 50% and less than 10% of patients infected with HIV-1 have multidrug and mul-ticlass resistance linked to 16 antiretroviral drugs, respectively. The significance of this study lies inits larger-scale examination of the prevalence of drug-resistant variants and multidrug resistance inHAART-experienced patients in South Korea.

• ISBN or ISSN: 1386-6532

• 본 연구는 질병관리본부 연구개발과제(과제번호 2012-N51003-00) 연구비를 지원받아 수행되었습니다.
• This research was supported by a fund(code 2012-N51003-00) by Research of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.