Primary HIV-1 drug resistance among injecting drug users in Xinjiang

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence of drug resistance mutations among antiretroviral treatment naive human immunodeficiency virus type 1(HIV-1)infected individuals who got HIV through injecting drug use in Yili state of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.MethodsWhole blood samples and epidemiologic information were collected from 77 HIV-1 infected injecting drug users in Yili state.Viral RNA was extracted from plasma;the 1.3kb pol gene was amplified by reverse transcriptase-PCR(RT-PCR)and nested PCR.The purified amplification products were sequenced directly.Subtypes of HIV-1 were determined through phylogenitic analysis.Drug resistant genotypes were analyzed with Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Algorithm.ResultsAmong the 77 HIV-1 infected cases,CRF07_BC strains were predominant(76/77, 98.7%)and the subtype B HIV-1 strain was detected in one of the subjects(1.3%).No major drug resistance mutation was detected in protease coding region.But many minor drug resistance mutations were detected,mainly at position 71 (11/77),10(6/77)and 58(3/77)in protease coding region.In reverse transcriptase coding region,drug resistance mutations at position 181 and 184 were detected at the same time in one subject.ConclusionDrug resistant strain transmission was detected among antiretroviral treatment naive HIV-1 infected injecting drug users in Yili state of Xinjiang,but the prevalence of primary drug resistance was still low.Drug resistance monitoring in injecting drug users should be strengthened to prevent the occurrence the transmission of drug resistant strains.