Use of Proviral DNA to Investigate Virus Resistance Mutations in HIV-infected Zimbabweans.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) to suppress HIV replication has reduced morbidity and mortality yet effectiveness of current HIV drugs is threatened by HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) mutations.

Objective: To determine HIVDR mutations using proviral DNA from specimens of patients presenting to an HIV treatment clinic.

Methods: DNA from 103 patients, 86 treatment-experienced, 17 treatment-naïve, were genotyped for the HIV-1C reverse transcriptase gene (RT; codons 21-304) using Sanger sequencing and sequences analyzed using Sequencher software.