Background: Given the elevated potential for primary or transmitted drug resistance (TDR) among newly HIV-infected individuals, there is a need for a deeper understanding of the baseline resistance patterns present in young men of color who have sex with men.
Methods: Genotypic data were collected for participants aged 13-24 who were enrolled from seven sites. Univariate and bivariate methods were used to describe the prevalence of TDR and characteristics associated with TDR.
Results: Of the 296 individuals participating in the substudy, 145 (49%) had baseline genotypes. The majority of the individuals were African American (65%) and gay-identified (70%). There was significant variation in genotype availability by site (p < .001). Major surveillance drug resistance mutations were present in 28 subjects (19.3%); the majority were non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor mutations (12.4%). Subjects with TDR were less likely to have used alcohol on 1 or more days in the prior 2 weeks. Location was not associated with acquisition of TDR.
Conclusions: There was a high rate of TDR in a geographically and racially diverse sample of HIV-infected young men of color who have sex with men. This represents a serious public health concern given the young age of this sample and the potential need for long-term antiretroviral therapy. These findings underscore the critical roles of both early case identification and secondary prevention.
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