Genetic variability and drug resistance mutations in HIV-1 infected individuals on HAART or drug naïve in Limbe, Cameroon

Background Cameroon is a country in West Central Africa with a population of about 20 million inhabitants, with an estimated HIV prevalence of 5.1% in the general population. The HIV epidemic in this region is marked by a broad genetic diversity dominated by Circulating Recombinant Forms (CRFs). Methods To characterize HIV-1 genotypes circulating in HIV positive individuals in Limbe, Cameroon, we phylogenetically analyzed blood samples from 116 HIV positive patients. Of 116 samples tested, 110 were amplified by nested PCR at the Gag, Pol and Env genes. Sequences obtained were phylogenetically analyzed with reference sequences from the Los Alamos database. The RT region of samples was also amplified to identify mutations that conferred resistance to Reverse Transcriptase inhibitors (RTIs) using the Stanford University Drug resistance database. Results