K65R Mutation Common in Patients with HIV Subtype C

Seventy percent of patients infected with HIV subtype C had evidence of the K65R mutation after failure on a tenofovir-containing regimen.

The K65R mutation in HIV reverse transcriptase (selected for by tenofovir, ddI, d4T, and abacavir) sensitizes the virus to AZT but confers resistance to all other nucleosides. In parts of the world where HIV subtype B predominates (like the U.S.), the prevalence of K65R is relatively low among patients who experience virologic failure on first-line tenofovir-containing regimens: 17% among those with failure on tenofovir in Gilead Study 903 (JAMA 2004; 292:191) and 7% among those with failure on tenofovir/FTC/efavirenz in ACTG A5202 (Ann Intern Med 2011; 154:445). However, in vitro studies suggest that HIV subtype C, which predominates in southern Africa and India, may be prone to develop the K65R mutation. Now, a clinical study substantiate…

Reviewing Author

Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD

K65R Mutation Common in Patients with HIV Subtype C

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Reviewing Author