Drug resistance to ARVT: new recommendations for testing and monitoring

Last month, a scientific journal on clinical infectious diseases published new recommendations of the International Antiviral Community (IAS) on testing and monitoring drug resistance to antiretroviral drugs used in HIV treatment.

The publication specifies that in some countries such resistance reaches 10%, which is why it is recommended to conduct more detailed monitoring.

Specialists recommend testing for mutations of genotypic resistance of reverse transcriptase and protease immediately after the diagnosis of HIV. It is also necessary to test the genetic stability, including genotyping of integrase.

It is recommended to test for resistance in patients with viral load more than 200 copies / ml.

Testing of phenotypic resistance is necessary in the presence of a complex character of genotypic resistance. This is especially necessary with limited options for antiretroviral therapy.

Testing proviral DNA of genotypic resistance should be performed in patients with virologic suppression or with low-level viremia. However, it should be noted that this approach is less accurate than testing for resistance to plasma virus.

Phylogenetic analysis of HIV sequences by resistance tests should be used to evaluate the transmission environment and may have a role in identifying and containing HIV outbreaks.

More information on the publication can be found on the link.