Objective

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to a dramatic decrease in AIDS-related morbidity and mortality, but can be compromised by the development of HIV drug resistance. The objective of this thesis is to explore issues important to the understanding of HIV drug resistance at the populational level in British Columbia, Canada. Methods HIV drug resistance was analyzed via retrospective, observational analyses of the population of HIV-infected individuals receiving treatment through the HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment Program in British Columbia, Canada. Analyses were largely based upon viral protease and reverse transcriptase genotypic sequences obtained from archived plasma samples as well as information in the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS ’ monitoring and evaluation system. Results One analysis demonstrated a drastic, exponential decrease in the incidence of new cases of HIV-1 drug resistance over time in individuals followed from 1996-2008 that ha