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Erschienen in: Virology Journal 1/2021

Open Access 01.12.2021 | Research

Transmitted drug resistance and transmission clusters among HIV-1 treatment-naïve patients in Guangdong, China: a cross-sectional study

verfasst von: Yun Lan, Linghua Li, Xiang He, Fengyu Hu, Xizi Deng, Weiping Cai, Junbin Li, Xuemei Ling, Qinghong Fan, Xiaoli Cai, Liya Li, Feng Li, Xiaoping Tang

Erschienen in: Virology Journal | Ausgabe 1/2021

Abstract

Background

Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) that affects the effectiveness of the first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen is becoming prevalent worldwide. However, its prevalence and transmission among HIV-1 treatment-naïve patients in Guangdong, China are rarely reported. We aimed to comprehensively analyze the prevalence of TDR and the transmission clusters of HIV-1 infected persons before ART in Guangdong.

Methods

The HIV-1 treatment-naïve patients were recruited between January 2018 and December 2018. The HIV-1 pol region was amplified by reverse transcriptional PCR and sequenced by sanger sequencing. Genotypes, surveillance drug resistance mutations (SDRMs) and TDR were analyzed. Genetic transmission clusters among patients were identified by pairwise Tamura-Nei 93 genetic distance, with a threshold of 0.015.

Results

A total of 2368 (97.17%) HIV-1 pol sequences were successfully amplified and sequenced from the enrolled 2437 patients. CRF07_BC (35.90%, 850/2368), CRF01_AE (35.56%, 842/2368) and CRF55_01B (10.30%, 244/2368) were the main HIV-1 genotypes circulating in Guangdong. Twenty-one SDRMs were identified among fifty-two drug-resistant sequences. The overall prevalence of TDR was 2.20% (52/2368). Among the 2368 patients who underwent sequencing, 8 (0.34%) had TDR to protease inhibitors (PIs), 22 (0.93%) to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and 23 (0.97%) to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Two (0.08%) sequences showed dual-class resistance to both NRTIs and NNRTIs, and no sequences showed triple-class resistance. A total of 1066 (45.02%) sequences were segregated into 194 clusters, ranging from 2 to 414 sequences. In total, 15 (28.85%) of patients with TDR were included in 9 clusters; one cluster contained two TDR sequences with the K103N mutation was observed.

Conclusions

There is high HIV-1 genetic heterogeneity among patients in Guangdong. Although the overall prevalence of TDR is low, it is still necessary to remain vigilant regarding some important SDRMs.
Hinweise
Yun Lan, Linghua Li and Xiang He contributed equally to the article

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Abkürzungen
aORs
Adjusted odds ratios
aLRT
Approximate likelihood ratio test
ART
Antiretroviral therapy
COMET
Context-based Modeling for Expeditious Typing
CPR
Calibrated Population Resistance
CRF
Circulating recombinant form
EDTA
Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid
HET
Heterosexual
IDU
Intravenous drug use
MSM
Men who have sex with men
NNRTI
Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
NRTI
Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
ORs
Odds ratios
PI
Protease inhibitor
SDRMs
Surveillance drug resistance mutations
TDR
Transmitted drug resistance
TN93
Tamura-Nei 93
95% CIs
95% confidence intervals

Background

Guangdong is one of the areas in China most heavily affected by HIV-1. By the end of October 2019, Guangdong reported the fourth highest number of HIV cases (66,558) in China [1]. National wide antiretroviral therapy (ART) has substantially curbed rampant HIV transmission [2] and has significantly reduced the HIV infection associated mortality and morbidity [3, 4]. However, emerging HIV drug resistant variants due to the long-term ART selection post a threat to HIV prevention and control [5].
Transmitted drug resistance (TDR) of HIV is prevalent but varies worldwide. For example, the prevalence of TDR of HIV has been reported to be 4.1% in south/southeast Asia and 6.0% in sub-Saharan Africa [6] 14% in southwestern Siberia [7], 7.8% in Greece [8], 8.0% in Brighton [9], and 13.1% in Portugal [10]. In 2015, a nationwide cross-sectional survey revealed that the overall prevalence of TDR was 3.6% in China [11]. More recently, the TDR rate of many cities in China has increased 4.5% in Beijing [12], 7.21% in Guangxi [13], 11.1% in Zhejiang [14], and 7.8% in Tianjin [15].
Molecular transmission clusters can be identified by molecular phylogeny based on evolutionary theory and sequence analysis [16, 17]. The analysis of transmission clusters has been widely used to study HIV-1 transmission kinetics and develop real-time precision interventions [18, 19]. International guidelines recommend that newly diagnosed HIV patients should be tested for ART drug resistance for potential TDR and for antiviral drug selection [16, 17]. Given that first-line ART drugs has been used in Guangdong for thirty years, it is essential to investigate the prevalence and transmission of TDR among HIV-1-infected adults in Guangdong. Here, we performed a large cohort cross-sectional study in ART-naïve HIV-1-infected individuals in Guangdong.

Methods

Study population

Between January 2018 and December 2018, 2368 HIV-1 patients were enrolled in this study based on the following criteria (1) adult residents being over 16 years old and living in Guangdong Province; (2) diagnosed with HIV infection within 3–6 months and never received ART; and (3) not infected via mother-to-infant transmission. The epidemiological data of the patients (includingage, sex, marital status, education level, ethnicity, route of infection, and CD4+ T cell count) were acquired from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention.

HIV-1 RNA extraction and pol gene amplification

The blood sample mixed with the anticoagulant ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) was centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 5 min to collect plasma. Viral RNA was extracted from the plasma using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (Qiagen, Germany) following the manufacturer’s instructions. The extracted RNA was transcribed and nest amplified using the PrimeScript One Step RT-PCR Kit (Takara, China) and PrimeSTAR HS DNA Polymerase (Takara, China). The PCR products were analysed using agarose gel electrophoresis, and the positive products (approximately 1300 bp in the HIV-1 pol gene corresponding to HXB2 2147–3462 nt, encoding the protease and the first 299 residues of reverse transcriptase) were sent for ABI3730 sequencing in a commercial company (Tianyi Huiyuan, China). The sequences obtained were assembled and cleaned with Sequencher software.

Genotype determination and analysis

Sequences were aligned, adjusted manually and merged with HIV-1 subtyping references downloaded from the Los Alamos HIV Sequence Database via Bioedit software. To determine the HIV-1 genotypes, sequences were assessed with the Context-based Modeling for Expeditious Typing (COMET) genotyping tool, developed by Daniel Struck [20] and the REGA HIV-1 Subtyping Tool Version 3.0, developed by Tulio de Oliveira [21]. The ML phylogenetic tree was used for confirmation. The phylogenetic tree was constructed using the maximum likelihood method with the GTR substitution model with the PhyML program 3.0 [22], and the branch support value was estimated using the approximate likelihood ratio test (aLRT) [23].

TDR and drug resistance mutation analysis

TDR was defined as the presence of surveillance drug resistance mutation (SDRM) [10]. The Stanford Calibrated Population Resistance (CPR) tool 8.0 (last updated on 1st July 2019) was used to identify SDRMs according to the WHO 2009 surveillance list [21]. The Stanford HIVdb Program 8.9 (last updated on 7th Oct. 2019) was used to infer resistance to antiretroviral drugs, including protease inhibitors (PIs), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) [24]. Sequences with low-level, intermediate-level, or high-level resistance were defined as drug resistant.

Transmission cluster construction

The HyPhy program 2.2.4 was used to calculate the pairwise Tamura-Nei 93 (TN93) genetic distance for the aligned sequences [25]. The network visualisation program Cytoscape 3.2.1 was used to analyse sequences with a threshold genetic distance of 0.015 and to visualize the transmission network as nodes (sequences), edges (links) and clusters (groups of linked sequences) [26]. This genetic distance threshold has been validated to identify partners with epidemiological links [27] and has been widely used [28, 29].

Statistical analysis

All statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS program version 25.0. Qualitative statistics are described using the frequency. Quantitative statistics are described using the median (IQR). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Variables with a P-value < 0.05 in the univariate logistic regression analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) are reported.

Results

Demographic and clinical characteristics of the subjects

A total of 2368 (97.17%) HIV-1 pol sequences were successfully amplified and sequenced from the enrolled 2,437 participants whose age ranged from 16 to 90 years, with a median age of 36 years. In total, 86.53% (2,049/2,368) of the subjects were male. The most common infection route was men who have sex with men (MSM 46.75%, 1107/2368), followed by heterosexuals (HETs 42.40%, 1004/2368) and intravenous drug users (IDUs3.38%, 80/2,368. Approximately half of the participants were unmarried (46.28%, 1096/2368), and 36.95% were married or cohabiting (875/2368). The educational status of the subjects was mainly junior high school (34.76%, 823/2368). The median (range) CD4+ T cell count was 247 (1–1425) cells/mm3, and 37.80% (895/2368) of the subjects exhibited a CD4+ T cell count of < 200 cells/mm3 (Table 1).
Table 1
Demographic characteristics and factors associated with drug resistance
Variable
Number
TDR, N (%)
Crude OR (95% CI)
P-value
Adjusted OR(95% CI)
P-value
Total
2368
52 (2.2)
    
Age (years)
      
< 35
1097
25 (2.3)
1.000
   
35–49
737
15 (2.0)
0.891 (0.466–1.701)
0.726
  
≥ 50
534
12 (2.2)
0.986 (0.491–1.978)
0.968
  
Marital status
      
Unmarried
1096
22 (2.0)
1.000
   
Married
875
16 (1.8)
0.909 (0.475–1.742)
0.774
  
Divorce or widow
289
10 (3.5)
1.750 (0.819–3.738)
0.149
  
Unknown
108
4 (3.7)
1.878 (0.635–5.552)
0.255
  
Education
      
Primary and below
330
4 (1.2)
1.000
   
Junior high school
823
17 (2.1)
1.719 (0.574–5.147)
0.333
  
Senior high school
551
12 (2.2)
1.814 (0.580–5.673)
0.306
  
College and Above
586
16 (2.7)
2.288 (0.758–6.901)
0.142
  
Unknown
78
3 (3.8)
3.260 (0.715–14.873)
0.127
  
Ethnicity
      
Han
2202
48 (2.2)
1.000
   
Ethnic minorities
88
1 (1.1)
0.516 (0.070–3.780)
0.515
  
Unknown
78
3 (3.8)
1.795 (0.547–5.894)
0.335
  
Transmission route
      
HET
1004
19 (1.9)
1.000
   
MSM
1107
26 (2.3)
1.247 (0.686–2.267)
0.469
  
IDU
80
1 (1.3)
0.656 (0.087–4.996)
0.683
  
Other
177
6 (3.4)
1.819 (0.716–4.620)
0.208
  
CD4+ T cell count(cells/mm3)
      
< 200
895
15 (1.7)
1.000
 
1.000
 
200–499
1220
23 (1.9)
1.127 (0.585–2.173)
0.721
  
≥ 500
253
14 (5.5)
3.437 (1.636–7.219)
0.001
4.062 (1.904–8.668)
< 0.001
Genotype
      
CRF01_AE
842
24 (2.9)
1.000
 
1.000
 
CRF07_BC
850
10 (1.2)
0.406 (0.193–0.854)
0.017
0.360 (0.170–0.764)
0.008
CRF08_BC
66
2 (3.0)
1.065 (0.246–4.608)
0.933
  
CRF55_01B
244
5 (2.0)
0.713 (0.269–1.889)
0.496
  
CRF59_01B
53
1 (1.9)
0.655 (0.087–4.941)
0.682
  
Subtype B
70
3 (4.3)
1.526 (0.448–5.199)
0.499
  
Othera
243
7 (2.9)
1.011 (0.430–2.375)
0.980
  

Distribution of HIV-1 genotypes

The main HIV-1 genotypes circulating in Guangdong were found to be CRF07_BC (35.90%, 850/2368), CRF01_AE (35.56%, 842/2368) and CRF55_01B (10.30%, 244/2368), accounting for 81.76% of total infections. HIV-1 subtype B (2.96%, 70/2368), CRF08_BC (2.79%, 66/2368) and CRF59_01B (2.24%, 53/2368) were less frequently observed. HIV-1 Subtype C (0.46%, 11/2368), subtype G (0.13%, 3/2368), CRF02_AG (0.1%, 3/2368) and CRF12_BF (0.04%, 1/2368) were classified as minor in this study. In addition, 225 recombinant strains were observed (REGA tool ‘Recombination’, ‘Recombination-like’, ‘potential-Recombination’, or ‘check the report’; and COMET tool ‘unassigned’ and not clustered with any reference sequences by the phylogenetic tree). Minor HIV-1 genotypes and recombinant strains were classified as ‘other’ genotypes (Fig. 1A).
The distribution of HIV-1 genotypes varied among different risk groups (Fig. 1B). CRF07_BC (40.65%, 450/1107), CRF01_AE (29.63%, 328/1107) and CRF55_01B (12.74%, 141/1107) were the dominant genotypes circulating among MSM, and CRF08_BC (0.36%, 4/1107) was rarely detected in this risk group. CRF01_AE (42.43%, 426/1004), CRF07_BC (30.28%, 305/1004) and CRF55_01B (8.27%, 83/1004) were the main genotypes circulating among HETs. CRF07_BC accounted for more than half of the genotypes circulating among IDUs (53.75%, 43/80), followed by CRF01_AE (22.50%, 18/80) and CF08_BC (17.50%, 14/80).

HIV drug resistance mutations (SDRMs)

Twenty-one SDRMs were identified among fifty-two drug-resistant strains by the CPR program. M46L (0.17%, 4/2368) was the most prevalent mutation in the protease region. K103N (0.42%, 10/2368), Y181C (0.21%, 5/2368), and G190A (0.21%, 5/2368) were the most common NRTI-associated mutations, and M184V (0.21%, 5/2368), L210W (0.21%, 5/2368), and T215S (0.13%, 3/2368) were the most common NNRTI-associated mutations (Fig. 2). Patients infected with the CRF01_AE (0.29%) strain were most likely to acquire a PI-associated SDRM, followed by those infected with the CRF07_BC strain (0.04%). Patients infected with the CRF07_BC strain were most likely to acquire an NRTI-associated SDRM, followed by those infected with the CRF01_AE strain and CRF55_01B strain. Patients infected with the CRF01_AE strain were most likely to acquire an NNRTI-associated SDRM, followed by those infected with the CRF07_BC and subtype B strains (Fig. 2).

HIV TDR and its associated factors

The clinical impact of these mutations was assessed with the Stanford HIVdb tool. In total 2.20% (52/2368) of patients had TDR (Table 2). Among them, 8 (0.34%) had TDR to PIs, 22 (0.93%) to NRTIs, and 23 (0.97%) to NNRTIs (Table 2). Two (0.08%) strains showed dual-class resistance to NRTIs and NNRTIs, and no strains showed triple-class resistance. For NNRTIs, the most frequent TDR drugs were EFV and NVP (all 1.01%, 24/2368). For NRTIs, the most frequent TDR drug was D4T (0.63%, 15/2368), followed by AZT (0.46%, 11/2368). All seven patients with TDR to PIs were resistant to NFV.
Table 2
Transmission drug resistance among ART naïve HIV-1 infections from Guangdong China
Subtypes
Number
Number of TDR
Prevalence (%)
Prevalence (%)
PI
NRTI
NNRTI
CRF07_BC
850
10
1.18
0.12 (1/850)
0.82 (7/850)
0.24 (2/850)
CRF01_AE
842
24
2.85
0.71 (6/842)
0.95 (8/842)
1.31 (11/842)
CRF55_01B
244
5
2.05
0
1.64 (4/244)
0.41 (1/244)
Subtype B
70
3
4.29
1.43 (1/70)
0
2.86 (2/70)
CRF08_BC
66
2
3.03
0
1.52 (1/66)
1.52 (1/66)
CRF59_01B
53
1
1.89
0
(0/53)
1.89 (1/53)
Other
243
7
2.88
0
0.82 (2/243)
2.06 (5/243)
 Subtype C
11
2
18.18
0
0
18.18 (2/11)
 Subtype G
3
0
0
0
0
0
 CRF02_AG
3
0
0
0
0
0
 CRF12_BF
1
0
0
0
0
0
Recombinant strain
225
5
2.22
(0/225)
0.89 (2/225)
1.33 (3/225)
Total
2368
52
2.20
0.34 (8/2368)
0.93 (22/2368)
0.97 (23/2368)
TDR, transmission drug resistance; PI, protease inhibitor; NRTI, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; NNRTI, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor
Risk factors associated with HIV TDR are listed in Table 1. In the univariate logistic regression analysis, two factors were significantly associated with HIV TDR. The OR for patients whose CD4+ T cell count was above 500 cells/mm3 versus patients whose CD4+ T cell count was below 200 cells/mm3 was 3.437 (95% CI 1.636–7.219) and that for patients infected with the CRF07_BC strain versus patients infected with the CRF01_AE strain was 0.406 (95% CI 0.193–0.854). The multivariate logistic regression model showed that a CD4+ T cell count above 500 cells/mm3 and CRF07_BC were important risk factors, with aORs of 4.062 (95% CI 1.904–8.668) and 0.360 (95% CI 0.170–0.764), respectively.

Genetic transmission cluster analysis

All 2368 sequences were used to construct the genetic transmission network, of which 1066 (45.02%) were segregated into 194 clusters with a genetic distance threshold of 1.5%, ranging from 2 to 414 sequences (Fig. 3). A total of 93.30% (181/194) of clusters had a size ≤ 5 and 6.70% (13/194) of clusters had a size > 5. The largest cluster A was the CRF07_BC cluster with 414 sequences, followed by the CRF55_01B cluster B with 124 sequences (Fig. 3). A total of 50.86% (563/1107) of sequences from MSM were included in the networks and dispersed among 53.09% (103/194) of the transmission networks, and 40.64% (408/1004) of sequences from HETs were included in the networks and dispersed among 69.59% (135/194) of the transmission networks. We also observed that 28.85% (15/52) of patients with TDR were included in 9 clusters, and an analysis of shared mutations revealed that cluster C contained two TDR sequences with the K103N mutation (Fig. 3). The proportion of patients with TDR entering the network was lower than that of those without TDR, and the difference was statistically significant (χ2 = 5.617, p = 0.023 < 0.05). These individuals with TDR included 10 patients with resistance to NRTIs, 4 patients with resistance to NNRTIs, and 1 patient with resistance to PIs.
Patients were divided according to whether they entered the transmission network, and the risk factors listed in Table 3 were examined. The multivariate logistic regression model showed that infection through intravenous drug use, a CD4+ T cell count between 200 and 499 cells/mm3, and CRF07_BC or CRF55_01B were important factors, with aORs of 0.266 (95% CI 0.144–0.493), 1.339 (1.095–1.636), 3.435 (2.789–4.232) and 2.498 (95% CI 1.850–3.372), respectively (Table 3).
Table 3
Factors associated with transmission within clusters
Variable
Number
Persons in TC, N (%)
Crude OR (95% CI)
P-value
Adjusted OR(95% CI)
P-value
Total
2368
     
Age (years)
      
< 35
1097
527 (48.0)
1.000
 
1.000
 
35–49
737
292 (39.6)
0.710 (0.587–0.858)
< 0.001
0.857(0.661–1.111)
0.244
≥ 50
534
247 (46.3)
0.931 (0.757–1.145)
0.498
  
Marital status
      
Unmarried
1096
520 (47.4)
1.000
 
1.000
 
Married
875
382 (43.7)
0.858 (0.718–1.026)
0.940
  
Divorce or widow
289
118 (40.8)
0.764 (0.588–0.994)
0.045
0.811(0.569–1.155)
0.246
Unknown
108
46 (42.6)
0.822 (0.551–1.225)
0.336
  
Education
      
Primary and below
330
134 (40.6)
1.000
 
1.000
 
Junior high school
823
355 (43.1)
1.110 (0.856–1.438)
0.432
  
Senior high school
551
259 (47.0)
1.297 (0.984–1.710)
0.065
  
College and above
586
286 (48.8)
1.394 (1.061–1.832)
0.017
0.997(0.697–1.424)
0.986
Unknown
78
32 (41.0)
1.018 (0.616–1.681)
0.946
  
Ethnicity
      
Han
2202
1000 (45.4)
1.000
   
Ethnic minorities
88
34 (38.6)
0.757 (0.489–1.172)
0.212
  
Unknown
78
32 (41.0)
0.836 (0.528–1.323)
0.445
  
Route of infection
      
Heterosexual intercourse
1004
408 (40.6)
1.000
 
1.000
 
Homosexual intercourse
1107
563 (50.9)
1.512 (1.272–1.796)
< 0.001
1.451(1.156–1.821)
0.001
Intravenous drug use
80
16 (20.0)
0.365 (0.208–0.641)
< 0.001
0.266(0.144–0.493)
< 0.001
Others
177
79 (44.6)
1.178 (0.853–1.625)
0.320
  
CD4+ T cell count(cells/mm3)
      
< 200
895
358 (40.0)
1.000
 
1.000
 
200–499
1220
598 (49.0)
1.442 (1.211–1.717)
< 0.001
1.339 (1.095–1.636)
0.004
≥ 500
253
110 (43.5)
1.154 (0.870–1.530)
0.320
  
Genotype
      
CRF01_AE
842
305 (36.2)
1.000
 
1.000
 
CRF07_BC
850
560 (65.9)
3.400 (2.785–4.151)
< 0.001
3.435 (2.789–4.232)
< 0.001
CRF08_BC
66
12 (18.2)
0.391 (0.206–0.743)
0.004
0.488 (0.252–0.947)
0.034
CRF55_01B
244
145 (59.4)
2.579 (1.926–3.452)
< 0.001
2.498 (1.850–3.372)
< 0.001
CRF59_01B
53
22 (41.5)
1.249 (0.711–2.197)
0.439
  
Subtype B
70
22 (31.4)
0.807 (0.478–1.363)
0.422
  
Other
243
0 (0.0)
   
Drug resistance
      
Yes
52
15 (28.8)
1.000
 
1.000
 
No
2316
1051 (45.4)
2.049 (1.119–3.755)
0.020
1.709 (0.884–3.302)
0.111
TC, transmission cluster; OR, odd ration; CI, confidence interval; MSM, men who have sex with men; HET, heterosexual; IDU, intravenous drug use; CRF, circulating recombinant form

Discussion

In this study, we investigated the genetic characteristics and prevalence of TDR among ART-naïve HIV-1-infected individuals newly diagnosed in Guangdong, China, in 2018. The major epidemic HIV-1 genotypes detected in Guangdong were CRF07_BC (35.90%), CRF01_AE (35.56%), and CRF55_01B (10.30%). The distribution of HIV-1 genotypes in Guangdong has changed over the last three decades. Before 2000, subtype C (46.2%) and subtype B (30.7%) were the major prevalent strains before 2000 [30]. CRF01_AE (49.68%), CRF07_BC (22.26%), and CRF08_BC (21.93%) were the major strains circulating in 2006 [31]. CRF01_AE (43.2%), CRF07_BC (26.3%), CRF55_01B (8.5%) and CRF08_BC (8.4%) became the predominant strains circulating in 2013 [32]. In 2018, the proportion of individuals infected with CRF07_BC increased, while the proportion of individuals infected with CRF01_AE declined gradually. CRF07_BC was first identified from IDUs in the early 1990s and has spread to MSM [33]. In this study, CRF07_BC was confirmed as the most dominant HIV-1 genotype across MSM (40.65%, Fig. 1B), and the proportion of CRF07_BC in MSM increased from 33.3% in 2006[31] to 34.2% in 2013[32]. The CRF07_BC-infected cases are likely to keep increasing if HIV infection among MSM continue rapidly. Our finding highlights the important of CRF07_BC for HIV control in Guangdong.
The overall prevalence of TDR is 2.20% in Guangdong. In general, this prevalence has remained low according to WHO categorisation methods [34], and is lower than that in other regions of China [1216]. A significant difference between the prevalence of TDR and CD4+ T cell count and genotype was observed, consistent with previous results [13]. When the CD4+ T cell count was used as a categorisation parameter, it was determined that patients with a CD4+ T cell count above 500 cells/mm3 were most likely to develop drug resistance. Of the six main genotypes, CRF07_BC had the lowest prevalence of TDR. In this study, TDR to NNRTIs and NRTIs was more common than TDR to PIs. This may be because NRTIs and NNRTIs are frequently used as first-line treatments. As the existence of TDR will affect antiretroviral therapy and spread drug resistance mutations, TDR continue to be monitored.
The SDRMs examined in our study were different from those in other regions. The most frequent PI-associated mutation in our study was M46L, whereas it is Q56E in southwest China [13], M46I in Iceland [35], and L90M in the south-central United States [36]. The most frequent NRTI-associated mutations in our study were M184V and L210W, while they are M41L and D67G in Southwest China [13] and T215C/D in Iceland and the south-central United States [35, 36]. The most frequent NNRTI-associated SDRM in our study was K103N, while it is V179E and V106I in Southwest China [13] and K103N/S and E138A in Iceland and the south-central United States [35, 36]. These dominant SDRMs are consistent with the main drug resistance sites among ART-treated patients in Guangdong [37]. The different SDRMs among different regions may be due to different genotype distributions or ART regimens.
To elucidate the transmission dynamics in the surveilled population, we constructed transmission clusters based on HIV-1 sequences. Of all the transmission networks, 53.09% included sequences from MSM. Moreover, more than half of the largest cluster, cluster A, and the second largest cluster, cluster B were comprised of sequences from MSM (68.36% and 54.84%, respectively). These results indicate that MSM may contribute significantly to the spread of the virus, and additional efforts should focus on this population for HIV prevention and control. Additionally, 28.85% (15/52) of patients infected by TDR strains were included in 9 clusters. A cluster (cluster C) containing HIV strains sharing the same SDRM (K103N) was found in the present study. The presence of TDR strains within transmission networks accounted for 4.64% (9/194) of all networks. These results indicate that HIV TDR may have spread in the transmission network, and the surveillance of TDR should be factored into treatment and prevention policies. Logistic regression analysis revealed that a CD4+ T cell count between 200 and 500 cells/mm3, the CRF07_BC strain and the CRF55_01B strain may be associated with the probability of entering the transmission network. The reasons for the association should be investigated further.

Conclusions

In summary, this study of 2368 treatment-naïve HIV-1 patients shows that there is high genetic heterogeneity in Guangdong China. Although the overall prevalence of TDR is low, it is still necessary to remain vigilant to some important SDRMs.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Prof. Ruolei Xin from Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, for their comments on this paper.

Declarations

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital (20171491). Written informed consent were obtained from all the participants.
Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Metadaten
Titel
Transmitted drug resistance and transmission clusters among HIV-1 treatment-naïve patients in Guangdong, China: a cross-sectional study
verfasst von
Yun Lan
Linghua Li
Xiang He
Fengyu Hu
Xizi Deng
Weiping Cai
Junbin Li
Xuemei Ling
Qinghong Fan
Xiaoli Cai
Liya Li
Feng Li
Xiaoping Tang
Publikationsdatum
01.12.2021
Verlag
BioMed Central
Erschienen in
Virology Journal / Ausgabe 1/2021
Elektronische ISSN: 1743-422X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-021-01653-6

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