Abstract:
Background: As access to antiretroviral therapy
(ART) increases, the emergence and transmission of
HIV drug resistant strains becomes a major problem.
The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore recommends
an initial minimum-resource method to signal
when transmitted HIV drug resistance (HIVDR)
requires action.
Objective: This survey sought to generate information
on the presence of HIV drug-resistant strains in the
locality where Ghana’s ART for HIV was first introduced.
Methods: The Ghana HIVDR threshold survey (TS)
was conducted and analyzed according to WHO strategy
for surveillance of HIVDR in the Eastern Region of
Ghana. Sixty (60) plasma specimens were collected
from 2007 to 2009 by an unlinked anonymous method
from HIV seropositive pregnant women, aged between
15 to24 years, who were with their first pregnancy and
ART naive. Genotyping was done as follows; Ribonucleic
acid (RNA) was extracted from the samples and
the protease (PR) and reverse transcriptase (RT) genes
amplified and sequenced. The sequences were then
analyzed for HIV drug resistance mutations using Stanford
University HIV Drug Resistance Database.
Results: Only two individuals were found with major
HIVDR mutations: one each in the PR and RT genes.
Thus the level of HIVDR in the study population in
2009 was classified as low (< 5%).
Conclusion: As at February 2009, transmitted drug
resistance was not a serious problem in the Eastern
Region of Ghana. However, it is important to continue
monitoring tHIVDR in order to understand the dynamics
of the evolution of HIV drug resistance in the country.