HIV Drug Resistance

Abstract

The use of combinations of antiretroviral drugs has proven remarkably effective in controlling the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease and prolonging survival,1 but these benefits can be compromised by the development of drug resistance.2,3 Resistance is the consequence of mutations that emerge in the viral proteins targeted by antiretroviral agents. In the United States, as many as 50 percent of patients receiving antiretroviral therapy are infected with viruses that express resistance to at least one of the available antiretroviral drugs.4 Consequently, the transmission of drug-resistant strains is also a growing concern