Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Journal of Clinical Microbiology, March 2002, p. 837-845, Vol. 40, No. 3
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.3.837-845.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
HIV and Retrovirology Branch,1 HIV Immunology and Diagnostics Branch, Division of AIDS, STD, and TB Laboratory Research, National Center for Infectious Diseases,5 Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease ControlPrevention, Atlanta, Georgia,4 Hôpital Militaire de Yaoundé, Yaoundé, Cameroon,2 Projet RETRO-CI, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire3
Received 21 August 2001/ Returned for modification 4 October 2001/ Accepted 14 December 2001
To establish a baseline for monitoring resistance to protease inhibitors (PIs) and examining the efficacy of their use among persons in Cameroon infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), we analyzed genetic variability and PI resistance-associated substitutions in PCR-amplified protease (PR) sequences in strains isolated from 110 HIV-1-infected, drug-naïve Cameroonians. Of the 110 strains, 85 were classified into six HIV-1 PR subtypes, A (n = 1), B (n = 1), F (n = 4), G (n = 7), H (n = 1), and J (n = 7), and a circulating recombinant form, CRF02-AG (n = 64). PR genes from the remaining 25 (23%) specimens were unclassifiable, whereas 2% (7 of 301) unclassifiable PR sequences were reported for a global collection. Two major PI resistance-associated mutations, 20M and 24I, were detected in strains from only two specimens, whereas secondary mutations were found in strains from all samples except one strain of subtype B and two strains of CRF02-AG. The secondary mutations showed the typical PI resistance-associated pattern for non-subtype B viruses in both classifiable and unclassifiable PR genes, with 36I being the predominant (99%) mutation, followed by 63P (18%), 20R (15%), 77I (13%), and 10I or 10V (11%). Of these mutations, dual and triple PI resistance-associated substitutions were found in 38% of all the Cameroonian strains. Compared with classifiable PR sequences, unclassifiable sequences had significantly more dual and triple substitutions (64% versus 30%; P = 0.004). Phenotypic and clinical evaluations are needed to estimate whether PI resistance during antiretroviral drug treatment occurs more rapidly in individuals infected with HIV-1 strains harboring multiple PI resistance-associated substitutions. This information may be important for determination of appropriate drug therapies for HIV-1-infected persons in Cameroon, where more than one-third of HIV-1 strains were found to carry dual and triple minor PI resistance-associated mutations.
This article has been cited by other articles:
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology. For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»