We have recently introduced HIV-1 genotypic integrase resistance testing to the antiretroviral susceptibility test repertoire at UCD NVRL.

Raltegravir is the only integrase inhibitor licensed for use in treatment of HIV-1 infection. A second member of this drug class, elvitegravir, is in the late stages of clinical development. Resistance toraltegravir has been shown to emerge rapidly in cases of suboptimal background therapy with 3 common resistance pathways, namely Y143, Q148 and Ni 55. However, more than 20 resistance associated mutations have been described. Recent clinical trials indicate that resistance to raltegravir will confer resistance to elvitegravir and vice versa.

The HIV-1 genotypic integrase resistance service at the NVRL will complement the protease and reverse transcriptase resistance tests and the genotypic tropism assay thus providing a comprehensive menu to clinicians treating HIV-1 infection. At least 1ml plasma from patients with a HIV-1 viral load >1,000copies/ml is required to generate a result. The expected turnaround time is 14 working days. Request forms are available to download at nvrl.ucd.ie/forms

If you have any queries about the above service please do not hesitate to contact me, Dr Cillian De Gascun or Dr. Suzie Coughlan