HIV Resistance Testing Kits - Importance and Usage

HIV resistance testing kits are diagnostic tools used to determine the genetic mutations in the HIV virus that may cause resistance to certain antiretroviral medications. This information helps healthcare providers in selecting the most effective treatment for HIV-infected individuals.
Category
Diagnostic Tool
Where to get
Available at healthcare facilities and clinics
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

HIV Resistance Testing Kits FAQ


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What is HIV drug resistance testing?

Drug resistance testing is used to determine whether a patient with HIV has a mutated form of the virus that does not respond to antiretroviral therapy (ART). If an HIV-infected patient becomes resistant to a drug and continues to take the same medication, HIV is able to multiply faster because the drug cannot stop it from replicating.

How do you determine drug resistance for HIV?

Two methods are used to determine drug resistance for HIV: genotyping, which detects treatment-resistant genetic mutations; and phenotyping, which assesses the viral response to ART agents. Genotyping is the preferred test in most clinical situations.

Should HIV drug resistance be tested before initiation of antiretroviral therapy?

Viruses. 2021 Feb; 13 (2): 340. Drug resistance remains a global challenge in the fight against the HIV pandemic [ 1, 2 ]. Where feasible, guidelines recommend testing for HIV drug resistance before initiation of and upon inadequate response to antiretroviral therapy in order to guide regimen selection [ 3, 4 ].

What is a HIV antigen test?

An antigen test will detect HIV infection at an earlier stage than an HIV antibody test. It tests for quantities of a protein known as the p24 antigen, which is part of the HIV virus and produced in high amounts early on after contracting HIV. In Australia, most labs currently test for both HIV antibodies and the p24 antigen.

What is a HIV-1 resistance kit?

This HIV-1 resistance kit harnesses gold-standard Sanger sequencing technology to amplify and reliably sequence the diverse and rapidly evolving HIV-1 virus. This product employs assays for HIV-1 genotyping licensed from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What is HIV drug resistance & integrase resistance testing?

HIV Drug Resistance and Integrase Resistance testing are added automatically for baseline genotyping to naïve patients considering starting antiretroviral treatment. The eligibility for HIV Baseline genotyping is when the HIV Viral Load > 1000 copies /mL.

HIV Resistance Testing Kits References

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