About

Training Years: 2013-2014

Training Site: UNC Project China

Country: China

Mentors: Stanley Lemon, MD; Joe Tucker, MD PhD; Weiping Cai, MD

Title: Lamivudine Resistance in Treatment-naïve HIV-HBV Co-infected IDUs in Guangdong, China

Project Objectives:

Aim 1: Compare the prevalence of a dominant 3TC resistant HBV genotype, determined by simple population sequencing of PCR-amplified HBV amplimers, in sera collected from HIV-HBV co-infected intravenous drug users before and after 3TC became widely used as first-line HIV treatment.

Aim 2: Use 454 Titanium pyrosequencing to determine the prevalence and frequency of 3TC-resistant HBV quasispecies in a subset of co-infected IDUs in whom population sequencing (Aim 1) does not reveal a dominant resistant population.

Hypothesis: Emergence of 3TC resistance in patients on treatment has led to transmission and increased prevalence of resistant HBV among treatment-naïve intravenous drug users (IDUs) who are co-infected with HIV. This may be manifested in some individuals by increased presence of low frequency, 3TC-resistant HBV quasispecies.

NIH Support: Fogarty fellowship postdoctoral training award