HIV-1 Genetic Diversity and Drug Resistance Mutations Among Treatment-Naive Adult Patients in Suriname

Abstract

The molecular epidemiologic profile of HIV-1 in Suriname was determined through protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) sequences obtained from HIV-1 strains collected from 100 drug-naive HIV-1-infected persons. Subtype determination revealed that most viruses were of subtype B (94.9%) in both PR and RT genomic regions, followed by B/D recombinants (5.1%). Analysis of drug resistance mutations showed only one transmitted dug resistance mutation (TDRM) (V75M) in a single strain. The genetic data obtained can serve as a baseline for Suriname to monitor emerging mutations. This study reveals that the HIV-1 epidemic in Suriname is still characterized by a low TDRM rate (1%) and a low level of subtype diversity. However, both genes display a high genetic polymorphism. This high polymorphism may ultimately lead to drug resistance. Continuous monitoring of the baseline resistance is therefore a prerequisite to safeguard effective long-term treatment for people living with HIV-1 in Suriname.

The HIV-1 Subtype B Epidemic in French Guiana and Suriname Is Driven by Ongoing Transmissions of Pandemic and Non-pandemic Lineages

“…HIV-1 subtype B pol sequences from treatment-naive adult patients from French Guiana ( n = 271) and Suriname ( n = 90) recently described ( Abdoel Wahid et al, 2016 ; Darcissac et al, 2016 ) were included in the present study. HIV-1 sequences were sampled over a time period of seven years (2006–2012) and cover the complete protease (PR) and the first part of the reverse transcriptase (RT) regions (nucleotides 2,253–3,275 of reference strain HXB2).…”

“…Subtype B is the predominant HIV-1 lineage circulating in French Guiana ( Kazanji et al, 2001 ; Darcissac et al, 2016 ) and Suriname ( Abdoel Wahid et al, 2016 ); but in sharp contrast to other continental American countries where the epidemic is mostly driven by the globally disseminated “B PANDEMIC ” lineage, the subtype B epidemic in French Guiana and Suriname is driven by transmission of both B PANDEMIC and of non-pandemic subtype B lineages characteristic of the Caribbean region (“B CAR ” lineages) ( Cabello et al, 2015 ). This epidemiological pattern resembles that described in several Caribbean islands (Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, The Bahamas and the Lesser Antilles) ( Cabello et al, 2014 ) and in the Northern Brazilian state of Roraima ( Divino et al, 2016 ).…”

“…Little is known about the spatiotemporal dynamics of dissemination, geographic compartmentalization, and demographic history of the B PANDEMIC and B CAR lineages circulating in French Guiana and Suriname. To answer these questions, we used Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian coalescent-based methods to analyze a comprehensive data set of 361 HIV-1 subtype B pol sequences from French Guiana and Suriname recently described ( Abdoel Wahid et al, 2016 ; Darcissac et al, 2016 ). The sequences were compared with HIV-1 subtype B pol sequences from the Caribbean, South America, North America, and Europe to identify country-specific transmission clusters of the B PANDEMIC and B CAR lineages and to reconstruct their evolutionary and demographic dynamics.…”

Sexually transmitted infections on the border between Suriname and French Guiana: A scoping review

“…The first line antiretroviral treatment strategies in Suriname today consist of Atripla (emtricitabine + tenofovir + efavirenz) or lamivudine + zidovudine + nevirapine (Duovir N) or, more recently, Tenofovir + Lamuvidine + Dolutegravir (TLD). Although, recent drug resistance studies on both sides of the border are lacking, studies from Suriname and French Guiana were reassuring ( 21 , 22 ) and the gradual improvements of virological suppression rates do not suggest particularly high levels of resistance in a context of migration and follow-up interruptions.…”