HIV-1 Subtype Diversity and Factors Affecting Drug Resistance among Patients with Virologic Failure in Antiretroviral Therapy in Hainan Province, China, 2014-2020*

Objective This study aimed to determine the HIV-1 subtype distribution and HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) in patients with ART failure from 2014 to 2020 in Hainan, China. Methods A 7-year cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/AIDS patients with ART failure in Hainan. We used online subtyping tools and the maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree to confirm the HIV subtypes with pol sequences. Drug resistance mutations (DRMs) were analyzed using the Stanford University HIV Drug Resistance Database. Results A total of 307 HIV-infected patients with ART failure were included, and 241 available pol sequences were obtained. Among 241 patients, CRF01_AE accounted for 68.88%, followed by CRF07_BC (17.00%) and eight other subtypes (14.12%). The overall prevalence of HIVDR was 61.41%, and the HIVDR against non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), and protease inhibitors (PIs) were 59.75%, 45.64%, and 2.49%, respectively. Unemployed patients, hypoimmunity or opportunistic infections in individuals, and samples from 2017 to 2020 increased the odd ratios of HIVDR. Also, HIVDR was less likely to affect female patients. The common DRMs to NNRTIs were K103N (21.99%) and Y181C (20.33%), and M184V (28.21%) and K65R (19.09%) were the main DRMs against NRTIs. Conclusion The present study highlights the HIV-1 subtype diversity in Hainan and the importance of HIVDR surveillance over a long period.

Automated summary

This study investigated the HIV-1 subtype distribution and HIV drug resistance in ART failure patients in Hainan, China from 2014 to 2020. The study found a high diversity of HIV-1 subtypes and a prevalent HIV drug resistance. Unemployment, hypoimmunity or opportunistic infections, and recent samples were associated with increased odds of HIV drug resistance. The study highlights the importance of long-term HIV drug resistance surveillance.