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An Affordable HIV-1 Drug Resistance Monitoring Method for Resource Limited Settings
Published on: March 30, 2014
Genotypic testing for HIV-1 drug resistance using dried blood samples
Rosalia Lira1, Hilda Valdez-Salazar, Guillermo Vazquez-Rosales
1Unidad de Investigacion Medica en Enfermedades Infecciosas y Parasitarias, Hospital de Pediatria, Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Delegacion Cuauhtemoc, Mexico City 06720, Mexico. rolica36@yahoo.com
Dried blood samples (DBS) offer a viable method for HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping, complementing viral load monitoring. While amplification challenges exist at low viral loads, DBS provides highly concordant results with plasma, supporting its use in resource-limited settings.
Area of Science:
- Virology and Infectious Diseases
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Public Health
Background:
- Dried blood samples (DBS) are a practical alternative to plasma for monitoring HIV-1 viral load in resource-limited settings.
- Evaluating the utility of DBS for HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping is crucial for optimizing treatment strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of performing HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping using the ViroSeq assay on DBS.
- To compare genotyping results obtained from DBS with those from plasma samples.
Main Methods:
- Fifty-seven paired plasma and DBS samples from HIV-1 patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy were analyzed.
- HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping was performed on both plasma and DBS using the ViroSeq assay, targeting protease and reverse transcriptase regions.
- Amplification success rates and genotype concordance between plasma and DBS were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Successful sequencing was achieved in 38.6% of paired DBS samples.
- Failure to amplify DNA from DBS was associated with plasma viral loads below log(10) 5.1.
- A high concordance of 96.4% was observed in genotype interpretation between plasma and DBS, with most mutations identified in plasma also detected in DBS.
Conclusions:
- Dried blood samples (DBS) are a useful tool for HIV-1 drug resistance genotyping, particularly in settings where plasma collection is challenging.
- Optimizing sample storage and sequence analysis can improve the sensitivity and quality of genotype data obtained from DBS.
- DBS provides reliable data for both viral load monitoring and drug resistance genotyping, supporting effective HIV management.
