Zidovudine with nevirapine for the prevention of HIV mother-to-child transmission reduces nevirapine resistance in mothers from the Western Cape, South Africa.
In the Western Cape province of South Africa, an intensified regimen for the prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission-of-HIV consisting of zidovudine (AZT) from 34 weeks of pregnancy plus single dose (sd) nevirapine (NVP) during labor was instituted in 2004. The newborn baby receives a single dose of NVP and AZT for 7 days. Similar strategies in Thailand and Africa have been shown to be more effective in reducing transmission than NVP alone. The use of sd NVP only for the prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission-of-HIV has a high risk of inducing resistance (25-69%) with an average of 35.7% by a recent meta-analysis and has been shown to adversely affect non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based antiretroviral therapy when initiated within 6 months. In this study the prevalence of resistance to NVP and AZT in mothers who had received the intensified regimen was measured. Specimens collected from mothers were genotyped by in-house PCR and sequencing. In specimens obtained within 60 days of delivery, acquired NVP resistance mutations were detected in 13 of 76 patients (17.1%, 95% confidence interval: 8.7-25.6%), which appears to be lower than in studies with sd NVP alone (37.5%, 95% confidence interval: 23.0-50.6%).
van Zyl
G U
GU
Faculty of Health Sciences and National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) Tygerberg, Division of Medical Virology, Department Pathology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa. guvz@sun.ac.za
Claassen
M
M
Engelbrecht
S
S
Laten
J D
JD
Cotton
M F
MF
Theron
G B
GB
Preiser
W
W
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology*; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase / Q000235:genetics; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009154:Mutation; D019829:Nevirapine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013019:South Africa; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D015215:Zidovudine; D019829:Nevirapine; D054303:HIV Reverse Transcriptase