title: Patterns of HIV-1 Drug-Resistance Mutations among Patients Failing First-Line Antiretroviral Treatment in South India.
abstract: Although highly active antiretroviral therapy has improved the quality of life among HIV-infected people in India, the emergence of drug resistance along with the limited access and affordability to routine monitoring continues to be a challenge worldwide.
  
  
  
  The frequency and patterns of HIV-1 drug-resistance mutations among the first-line failing HIV-infected patients attending a hospital in Salem, Tamil Nadu, India, were genotypically analyzed using the online Stanford HIV Database.
  
  
  
  Of the study patients followed up for 6 months, 23 patients failed first-line therapy and the mutation of I135R/T/V/X, L178 I/M, M184V/I, D67N, K70R, and K103N was most common. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of these patients belonged to HIV subtype C.
  
  
  
  The study documents the frequency of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations that are prevalent in the first-line failing HIV-infected patients of South Indian region and adds up to the data for developing future algorithms to study the drug-resistance mutations of HIV subtype C. Thus, the results of the study call for the need for rational approach for selecting and for frequent viral monitoring to be performed to detect failure, followed by genotyping.
authors.affiliation: Deparment of Microbiology, Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India dt_arasu@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Dharmalingam
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thirunavukarasu
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Visvanathan
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Udhaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease, YRG Care, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Hussain Syed
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Vivekanandha Dental College for Women, Tiruchengode, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: Thirunavukarasu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umaarasu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D024882:Drug Resistance, Viral / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents
keywords: HIV; HIV variant; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); drug resistance