A retrospective descriptive investigation of adult patients receiving third-line antiretroviral therapy in the North West province, South Africa.

Background: Greater access and prolonged exposure to ART may inevitably lead to more treatment failure and increase the need for third-line ART (TLART) in a resource-limited setting.

Objective: To describe characteristics and resistance patterns of adult patients initiated on TLART in three districts of the North West province.

Method: All-inclusive retrospective descriptive investigation.