High Rate of HIV-1 Drug Resistance in Antiretroviral Therapy-Failure Patients in Liaoning Province, China.

This study aimed to monitor the prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance and risk factors associated with drug resistance in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-failure individuals in Liaoning Province, China. Plasma samples were collected from HIV-1-positive individuals who experienced ART failure in Liaoning Province between April 2018 and September 2019. Genotype resistance test was performed using an in-house assay on these collected samples. Factors associated with drug resistance were identified by logistic regression analysis. We collected a total of 468 ART-failure individuals, of which 256 were successfully included in the final study. Of these, the most predominant genotype was CRF01_AE, accounting for 77.73%. The resistance rate to any of the three classes of antiretroviral drugs (non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors [NNRTIs], nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors [NRTIs], and protease inhibitors [PIs]) was 64.84%. Among 256 ART-failure patients, 62.89% showed drug resistance to NNRTIs, 50.39% to NRTIs, and 3.13% to PIs. G190S (31.25%) and Y181C (25.78%) mutations were the most common NNRTIs resistance mutations. K65R (29.69%), M184V (28.52%) were the most common NRTIs resistance mutations. Factors associated with drug resistance included current ART regimen and viral load. The high drug resistance rate among ART-failure individuals in Liaoning Province needs more attention. Corresponding strategies for the risk factors associated with HIV drug resistance can better control and prevent the prevalence of resistance.