Frequent detection of antiretroviral drug resistance in HIV-1-infected orphaned children followed at a donor-funded rural pediatric clinic in Dodoma, Tanzania

A total of 81 HIV-1 protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) sequences were obtained from 46 drug-naive and 35 pretreated individual HIV-1-infected orphaned children followed at a donor-funded rural pediatric clinic in Dodoma, Tanzania. PR and RT sequencing was performed by home-brew technology on 70 plasma samples and 11 dried blood spot specimens. Nucleoside RT inhibitor (NRTI) resistance mutations were detected in 2.2% of drug-naive and 82.9% of pretreated children. Nonnucleoside RT inhibitor (NNRTI) resistance mutations were detected in 69.6% of drug-naive and 91.4% of pretreated children. Resistance to protease inhibitors was rare (8.6% in pretreated children). Based on few complete treatment records, only around 20% of the treated children had undetectable plasma HIV-1 RNA. The rate of NRTI and NNRTI resistance in this donor-funded rural pediatric clinic was high and appeared to limit virological response to treatment.