HIV drug resistance and HIV transmission risk behaviors among active injection drug users

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2005 Sep 1;40(1):106-9. doi: 10.1097/01.qai.0000159666.95455.d2.

Abstract

HIV(+) injection drug users in clinical care may harbor and transmit drug-resistant HIV. We performed a retrospective study of HIV drug resistance and risk behavior among HIV(+) injection drug users in care to determine the number of needle-sharing events that involved and the proportion of sharing partners exposed to drug-resistant HIV. Among 180 HIV injection drug users, 55 (31%) reported injecting drugs in the previous month, and 22 of these (40%) shared needles and/or works 148 times with 296 partners, of whom 271 (92%) were thought to be HIV(-) or status unknown. Further, 55 (31%) drug users harbored resistant HIV, including 5 (3% of total) who also shared needles and/or works a total of 27 times with 44 partners (18% of all sharing events and 15% of all exposed partners). A small proportion of injection drug users receiving clinical care engage in injection risk behavior and carry resistant HIV; however, because of multiple partners and needle-sharing events, they expose a substantial number of individuals to drug-resistant HIV. Strategies to reduce injection drug use risk behaviors among patients in clinical care are needed to reduce the transmission of sensitive and resistant HIV.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-HIV Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Disease Transmission, Infectious*
  • Drug Resistance
  • Female
  • HIV / drug effects*
  • HIV Infections / transmission*
  • HIV Infections / virology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Needle Sharing / adverse effects
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk-Taking
  • Substance Abuse, Intravenous*

Substances

  • Anti-HIV Agents