Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Resistance testing.
Posit Aware. 1997 Jul/Aug;8(4):35-7. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/97702775 Munk B; Clearinghouse, AIDS Newsletter Database, P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, MD; 20849-6003. 800-458-5231 ext. 5714. A fee will apply.
Abstract:
Clinical resistance, phenotypic resistance, genotypic resistance, and drug resistance are a few of the terms used to define resistance. Drug resistance refers to HIV's ability to live and multiply even when it is exposed to a lethal dose of antiviral drugs. Clinical resistance occurs when a patient's HIV disease gets worse despite using medications that are usually effective. Phenotypic resistance refers to HIV that can live in a test tube containing what should be a lethal dose of an antiviral drug. A virus has genotypic resistance if it contains mutations. Researchers have a clearer picture of resistance to protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. These drugs work by physically locking onto the enzyme and blocking the working part of the enzyme molecule. Although tests for genotypic and phenotypic resistance are becoming commercially available, it is not yet clear how accurate or useful these tests will be in terms of changing antiviral drug regimens. Resistance questions will be addressed in a research study being conducted by the Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Genotypic Antiretroviral Resistance Testing (GART) protocol will determine whether there is any difference in the viral load between patients who are using current antiviral therapy management to those who have the results of genotypic testing available to their physicians.
Keywords: *Diagnostic Services *Drug Resistance, Microbial *HIV Infections/DRUG THERAPY *HIV-1/DRUG EFFECTS *Mutation 971230
M97C1551
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