Ultra-Deep Sequencing of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Before Start of an NNRTI-based Regimen in Treatment-naive Patients

AbstractThere are conflicting data on the impact of low frequency HIV-1 drug-resistant mutants on the response of first-line highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), more specifically containing a NNRTI. As population sequencing does not detect resistant viruses representing less than 15-25% of the viral population, more sensitive techniques have been developed but still need clinical validation. We evaluated ultra-deep sequencing (UDPS), recently more available and affordable, as a tool for the detection of HIV-1 minority species carrying drug resistant mutation (DRM) in a clinical setting. A retrospective analysis of the reverse transcriptase (RT) gene of plasma HIV-1 from 70 patients starting a NNRTI based regimen was performed. Minority populations were defined as representing >1% and