Objectives: Fifteen years after the roll-out of antiretroviral treatment (ART) in China, there is limited information available on transmitted HIV drug resistance (TDR). This study aimed to characterize the epidemiology of TDR in China.
Design: We conducted a prospective cross-sectional observational study.
Methods: We analyzed the demographic, clinical, and virological data of individuals with newly diagnosed HIV infection using data from the Beijing HIV laboratory network collected between 2001 and 2017. We did population-based sequencing of the pol gene on plasma specimens and identified TDR mutations using the WHO list for surveillance of TDR mutations.
Results: Data on TDR were available for 91% of the 10 115 individuals with newly diagnosed HIV infection tested, of whom 19.2% were from rural areas. The overall prevalence of TDR was 4.1% [95% confidence interval (CI): 3.7-4.5%], with a declining trend over the period 2001-2017. In the multivariable analysis, the risk of TDR differed significantly according to sex [odds ratio (OR) for women vs. men: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22-0.69, P = 0.002]; infection type (OR for CRF07_BC vs. CRF01_AE: 0.24, 95% CI: 0.16-0.36, P < 0.001); and sampling period (OR for 2009-2012 vs. 2001-2008: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.41-0.79; P = 0.01), and was significantly higher among individuals from Hebei province than in those from Beijing (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.05-1.96; P = 0.02).
Conclusion: In China, the prevalence of TDR among individuals with newly diagnosed HIV infection is relatively low. Trends in TDR should be assessed in other countries with a high TDR burden.