HIV-1 genotypic diversity and prevalence of drug resistance among treatment naïve HIV-infected individuals in Chengdu of China.

AIDS is becoming one of leading cause of death among infectious diseases in China. There has been rapidly increasing epidemic of HIV/AIDS in Chengdu since 2003. In order to investigate HIV-1 subtype distribution, drug resistance-associated mutations as well as drug resistance prevalence among treatment naïve HIV-infected individuals in Chengdu of China, 244 HIV confirmed-reactive serum samples were collected from 2007 to 2010, including 165 obtained from blood centers and 79 obtained from hospitals. HIV-1 pol including whole protease, and partial reverse transcriptase genes was amplified, sequenced, and analyzed for subtype determination and drug resistance profile description. A total of 159 amplified sequences which were acquired from 98 sample obtained at blood centers and 61 samples obtained at hospitals had the following genotype distribution: G (0.6%), F1 (0.6%), A1 (0.6%), B (1.9%), circulating recombinant form (CRF) 01_AE (42.8%), CRF07_BC (49.1%), and CRF08_BC (4.4%). There were 12.2 and 24.6 % samples obtained from blood centers and hospitals, respectively, that harbored drug resistance-associated mutations, and the prevalence of drug resistance among all cases was 1.3%. This was the first report of HIV molecular surveillance among treatment naïve HIV-infected individuals in Chengdu. Our findings were believed to be helpful on contribution to comprehensive HIV control program in China.