title: Short communication: high prevalence of drug-resistant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in treatment-naïve patients in Greenland.
abstract: A molecular epidemiologic study of HIV-1 in Greenland showed distinct transmission clusters correlated with demographic and behavioral data. Resistance mutations were found in a majority of the pol sequences. The objective of the present study was to estimate prevalence of drug resistance in Greenland and identify transmission chains by comparing resistance data with phylogeny and treatment history. Of 60 untreated patients, 15 (25%) had primary resistance mutations. The most prevalent mutations were T69D/N (15%), K70R (15%), and M184V (10%). Four possible transmission chains were identified based on phylogeny and mutation profiles. The clusters consisted of treated and untreated patients and showed the same mutation profiles in both resistance and nonresistance positions. Prevalence of transmitted drug resistance in Greenland (25%) is higher than in Denmark where only 3% transmission was observed. Suboptimal use of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) in Greenland was reflected in the high prevalence of NRTI-related resistance in the patients. A combination of phylogeny and genotypic resistance tests enabled us to study the number of transmissions and how the virus was transmitted. Resistance mutations detected in untreated patients were backed up by the treatment history of index patients in the possible transmission chains and indicated that these drug-resistant variants were in fact transmitted and had not emerged due to unregistered drug intake.
authors.affiliation: Statens Serum Institut, Department of Virology, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Tina Vasehus
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Madsen
authors.forename: Nicolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lohse
authors.forename: Ea Stilling
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Obel
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ladefoged
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerstoft
authors.forename: Ann Berith
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Louise Bruun
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D024921:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Viral; D005260:Female; D015751:Genes, pol / Q000235:genetics; D006116:Greenland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D015995:Prevalence