Worldwide, the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance is
highly variable, with rates ranging from 0% to 24%; the highest
prevalence has been reported in regions with a long-standing use
of antiretroviral therapy.
8
In our study, this prevalence is similar
to those described in Europe, the USA and Canada, with most
recent estimates of transmitted resistance in Europe being
around 10%.
9–13
We reported a difference in prevalence between the drug
classes and observed a significant decrease in PI resistance,
whereas the prevalence of NRTI and NNRTI resistance remained
stable. This finding, also described in the SPREAD study, is probably
due to the widespread use of new-generation boosted PIs.
13
Con-
versely, the parallel increase in NNRTI resistance mutations found
in the SPREAD study was not observed in our own, probably due to
the preferential use of PIs in France (http://www.ccde.fr). The
prevalence of the E138A polymorphic substitution, which is not
on the surveillance list but which can decrease rilpivirine suscepti-
bility, was 3.2% (95% CI 1.9% –4.6%) in 2010/11 (data not shown).
This might affect the virological response to a first-line rilpivirine-
based regimen. Studies have shown that even a modest number
of NNRTI resistance mutations is associated with a higher rate
of virological failure in patients receiving NNRTI-based regi-
mens.
1,14,15
Thus, our data reinforce the importance of testing
for transmitted drug resistance in newly diagnosed HIV-infected
patients before the initiation of therapy. No resistance mutations
to INIs were detected, probably due to their recent introduction,
but this might change in the future. The percentage of virus with
X4 tropism was relatively high in our study and was probably
accounted for by the proportion of patients entering medical
care at a late stage of infection. The fact that X4 tropism was asso-
ciated with the CD4 level reinforces this finding.
In 2010/11, the frequency of patients infected with non-B virus
subtypes was stable compared with the figure in 2006. Patients
were mostly women or had been diagnosed at a late stage of infec-
tion.
16
CRF_02 (AG) viruses remained stable, and the spread of
other subtypes was mainly due to a rising circulation of various
CRF subtypes, accounting for higher diversity. In our study, the pro-
portion of clusters was large compared with the size of the popula-
tion, reflecting the fact that HIV transmission in naive chronically
infected patients is high at this stage of infection.
3
The largest
cluster involved nine patients who were not related and lived in
different geographical regions of the country, which is not the
case in recent HIV infections, where clusters consist of multiple
individuals.
17 –20
For the first time since these studies had first been conducted in
France, the frequency of transmitted drug resistance was higher in
terms of a specific transmission group and HIV subtype. Indeed,
MSM infected with HIV-1 subtype B were at higher risk of harbour-
ing a virus with transmitted resistance-associated mutations, as
was also found in the SPREAD study.
13
When dealing with the
major increase in newly diagnosed HIV infections among MSM,
clinicians should consider the possibility of transmitted drug resist-
ance when encountering a patient newly diagnosed with HIV infec-
tion, especially among this specific transmission group.
In France in 2011, the prevalence of transmitted drug resistance
in antiretroviral-naive, chronically infected patients remained
stable, with similar rates to those observed in other developed
countries, where the prevalence of HIV-infected patients receiving
antiretroviral therapy with a controlled viral load below 50 copies/
mL has increased, being almost 90% in Francein 2011 (http://www.
ccde.fr) and lowering the risk of resistance transmission. The risk of
being infected with a resistant virus was higher for MSM, highlight-
ing the need to re-emphasize safe sex messages to HIV-infected
MSM under combination antiretroviral therapy. These data high-
light the importance of genotypic resistance testing at diagnosis
and/or before the initiation of treatment, and support the need
to continue the surveillance of transmitted drug resistance for all
classes of antiretroviral drugs worldwide.
Acknowledgements
This work was previously presented in part at the Nineteenth Conference on
Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Seattle, WA, USA, 2012 (Abstract
733).
We are indebted to the patients enrolled in the Odyssee studies, without
whom this work would not have been possible.
Members of the ANRS AC11 Resistance
Study Group by location
Aix en provence, E. Lagier; Amiens, C. Roussel; Angers, H. Le Guillou-
Guillemette; Avicenne, C. Alloui; Besanc¸on, D. Bettinger; Bordeaux,
G. Anies, S. Reigadas, P. Bellecave, P. Pinson-Recordon, H. Fleury,
B.Masquelier;Brest,S.Vallet;Caen,M.Leroux,J.Dina,A.Vabret;
Cergy-Pontoise, J. D. Poveda; Clermont-Ferrand, A. Mirand, C. Henquell;
Cre
´teil, M. Bouvier-Alias; Dijon, C. Noel, A. De Rougemont; Fort de France,
G. Dos Santos; Gene
`ve, S. Yerly, C. Gaille, W. Caveng, S. Chapalay, A. Calmy;
Grenoble, A. Signori-Schmuck, P Morand; Le Kremlin-Bice
ˆtre, C. Pallier;
Lille–Tourcoing, L. Bocket, L. Mouna; Limoges, S. Ranger-Rogez; Lyon,
P. Andre
´, J. C. Tardy, M. A. Trabaud; Marseille, C. Tamalet; Metz/Thionville,
C. Delamare; Montpellier, B. Montes; Nancy, E. Schvoerer; Nantes,
E. Andre
´-Garnier, V. Fe
´rre
´; Nice, J. Cottalorda; Orle
´ans, A. Guigon,
J. Guinard; Paris-Bichat Claude Bernard, D. Descamps, C. Charpentier,
G. Peytavin, F. Brun-Ve
´zinet; Paris-Paul-Brousse, S. Haim-Boukobza, A. M.
Roques; Paris-Pitie
´-Salpe
ˆtrie
`re, C. Soulie
´, S. Lambert-Niclot, I. Malet,
M. Wirden, S. Fourati, A. G. Marcelin, V. Calvez, P. Flandre, L. Assoumou,
D. Costagliola; Paris-Saint Antoine, L. Morand-Joubert; Paris-Saint Louis,
C. Delaugerre; Paris-Tenon, V. Schneider, C. Amiel; Poitiers, G. Giraudeau;
Rennes, A. Maillard; Rouen, J. C. Plantier; Strasbourg, S. Fafi-Kremer,
M. P. Schmitt; Toulouse, S. Raymond, J. Izopet; Tours, A. Chaillon, F. Barin;
Versailles, S. Marque Juillet.
Members of the ANRS Clinical Centres by location
Angers, J.-M. Chennebault; Besanc¸on, B. Hoen; Bordeaux, M. Dupon,
P. Morlat, D. Neau; Brest, M. Garre
´, V. Bellein; Caen, R. Verdon, A. De la
Blanchardie
`re, S. Darge
`re, A. Martin, V. Noyou; Clermont-Ferrand,
C. Jacomet; Cre
´teil, Y. Levy, S. Dominguez; Dijon, B. Lorcerie; Fort de
France, A. Cabie
´; Gene
`ve, S. Yerly; Grenoble, P. Leclercq; Le kremlin-Bice
ˆtre,
J. F. Delfraissy, C. Goujard; Lille–Tourcoing, L. Bocket; Limoges,
P. Weinbreck; Lyon, L. Cotte; Marseille, I. Poizot-Martin, I. Ravaud;
Montpellier, J. Reynes; Nantes, F. Raffi; Nice, P. Dellamonica; Orle
´ans,
P. Arsac, S. Devignevielle, T. Prazuck; Paris-Bichat Claude Bernard, P. Yeni,
R. Landman; Paris-HEGP, L. Weiss, C. Piketty; Paris-Jean-Verdier, S. Tassi;
Paris-Paul-Brousse, C. Bolliot, M. Malet, D. Vittecoq; Paris-Pitie
´-Salpe
ˆtrie
`re,
C. Katlama, A. Simon; Paris-Saint Antoine, P. M. Girard, J. L. Meynard;
Paris-Saint Louis, J. M. Molina; Paris-Tenon, V. Berrebi, G. Pialloux; Pointe a
`
Pitre, M. T. Goeger-Sow, I. Lamaury, A. Cabie
´; Poitiers, G. Le Moal,
D. Plainchamp; Rennes, C. Michelet; Rouen, F. Borsa-Lebas, F. Caron,
Y. Debab; Strasbourg, P. Fischer; Toulouse, B. Marchou, P. Massip; Tours,
J. M. Besnier; Versailles, A. Greber Belan, Ruel, O. Beletry, F. Granier.
Descamps et al.
2630