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Updated guidelines for the treatment of antiretroviral therapy (ART)-negative patients with HIV recommend integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based regimens. HIV patients are tested for resistance to antiretrovirals, and the reported prevalence of transmitted INSTI resistance remains rare worldwide. However, no data related to INSTI resistance in Korean HIV patients have been reported. We aimed to determine the prevalence of INSTI resistance-related mutations in South Korea. We subjected both ART-naive (n = 58) and ART-experienced Korean HIV patients (n = 41) to genotypic resistance analysis and determined a prevalence of INSTI major resistance mutations of 3.4% (n = 2) among ART-naive patients and 22.0% (n = 9) among ART-experienced patients. In the former group, both major INSTI resistance cases involved the nonpolymorphic E92Q mutation in the integrase strand. Our findings suggest that INSTI resistance testing should be included in the standard resistance screening protocols for Korean HIV patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Carbapenem resistance among gram-negative bacilli is an emerging threat worldwide. The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for the acquisition of carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli (CRE). Methods: We conducted a matched case-control study comprising 57 cases of acquisition of CRE and 114 controls (1:2 matched) selected from patients with a culture of carbapenem-susceptible E coli between January 2006 and December 2010 at a 2000-bed tertiary care center in South Korea. Results: On univariate analysis, previous use of carbapenem (P < .01), fluoroquinolone (P < .01), and glycopeptide (P < .01), as well as length of hospital stay (P < .05), were significantly associated with CRE acquisition. On multivariate analysis, previous use of carbapenem (odds ratio [OR], 4.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.44-14.46; P = .01) and previous use of fluoroquinolone (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.14-6.99; P = .03) were independent risk factors. Conclusions: At this institute, the antibiotic selective pressure of carbapenems and fluoroquinolones was shown to be an important risk factor for the acquisition of CRE. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and characteristics of HIV drug resistance mutations among antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive and ART-experienced patients in South Korea. A total of 50 ART-naive and 34 ART-experienced Korean HIV-1-infected patients who visited an urban hospital from February 2007 to March 2011 were included. Most patients (86.9%) were infected with clade B HIV-1. Six (12%) ART-naive and 22 (64.7%) ART-experienced patients had HIV strains with resistance mutations. Among ART-naive patients, V179D was the most common mutation, being found in five ART-naive patients. Among ART-experienced patients, M184V was the most common mutation. Eight of 34 ART-experienced patients had thymidine analogue mutations (TAMs). The prevalence of drug-resistant HIV-1 in ART-naive patients was higher than in previous reports, and 50% of patients with virologic failure harbored strains with multiple resistance mutations. HIV drug resistance testing should be recommended to guide therapy of ART-naive patients in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Less costly but still accurate methods for monitoring HIV treatment response are needed. We prospectively evaluated if a qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification assay for virologic monitoring could maintain accuracy while reducing costs in Seoul, South Korea. We conducted the first prospective study comparing a qualitative PCR amplification of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) versus a commercial real time PCR assay (i.e., viral load) for virologic monitoring of 150 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) between November 2011 and August 2012 at an urban hospital in Seoul, South Korea. A total of 215 blood plasma samples from 150 patients receiving ART for more than 6 months were evaluated. Using the individual viral load assay, 12 of 215 (5.6%) plasma samples had more than 500 HIV RNA copies/ml. The qualitative PCR amplification assay detected individual samples with ≥500 HIV RNA copies/ml with 100% sensitivity. The specificities of the qualitative PCR amplification of the HIV-1 RT assay were 94.1%, 93.6%, and 93.2% compared to the real time PCR at 500, 1,000, and 5,000 threshold of HIV RNA copies/ml, respectively, and $24,940 USD would have been saved for 150 patients during 10 months. The qualitative PCR amplification of the HIV-1 RT assay might be a useful approach to effectively monitor patients receiving ART and save resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]