Genetic attributes of blood-derived subtype-C HIV-1 tat and env in India and neurocognitive function.

Genetic elements in HIV-1 subtype B tat and env are associated with neurotoxicity yet less is known about other subtypes. HIV-1 subtype C tat and env sequences were analyzed to determine viral genetic elements associated with neurocognitive impairment in a large Indian cohort. Population-based sequences of HIV-1 tat (exon 1) and env (C2-V3 coding region) were generated from blood plasma of HIV-infected patients in Pune, India.

A combined screening platform for HIV treatment failure and resistance.

Background: To develop a low cost method to screen for virologic failure of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and HIV-1 drug resistance, we performed a retrospective evaluation of a screening assay using serial dilutions of HIV-1 RNA-spiked blood plasma and samples from patients receiving >6 months of first-line ART.

Methods: Serial dilution testing was used to assess sensitivity of a simple PCR-based assay (targeted at ≥1,000 HIV RNA copies/mL). We created blood plasma minipools of five samples, extracted HIV RNA from the pools, PCR amplified the reverse transcriptase (RT) coding region of the HIV-1 pol gene from extracted RNA, sequenced PCR product of positive pools, and used sequences to determine drug resistance.

Pooled nucleic acid testing to detect antiretroviral treatment failure in Mexico.

Background: Similar to other resource-limited settings, cost restricts availability of viral load monitoring for most patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Tijuana, Mexico. We evaluated if a pooling method could improve efficiency and reduce costs while maintaining accuracy.

Methods: We evaluated 700 patient blood plasma specimens at a reference laboratory in Tijuana for detectable viremia, individually and in 10 × 10 matrix pools.