Prevalence of residual replication in HIV-1 patients on Tenofovir, Lamuvidine and Dolutegravir (TLD) treatment followed at Al-Nadjma Multipurpose Center from 2021 to 2023

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of residual replication in HIV-1-infected patients receiving TLD from 2021 to 2023 followed at the Polyvalent Al-Nadjma center. Material and method: This was a retrospective and prospective study with an analytical aim which took place at the Polyvalent Al-Nadjma center from April 2022 to December 2023 in the city of N’Djamena. The study began with the interview of 135 patients, 108 of whom signed informed consent to participate in this study. Patients infected with HIV 1 on ART based on the combination of Tenofovir, Lamivudine and Dolutegravir (TLD) for at least 2 years with a load of 999 copies/mL were included. A total of 108 plasmas were collected and analyzed by the RT-PCR technique. The data from the interviews as well as the RT-PCR results were analyzed with R Studio software. Results: the results of this study revealed a female predominance with 70% (76/108) with a M/F sex ratio of 0.42. The average age of the patients was 40.58 ± 9.58 years. The prevalence of persistent residual replication was 22.22% (n = 24/108), 54.60% (n = 59/108) of patients had virological success, and 19.44% (n = 21/108) of patients had a viral load greater than or equal to 1000 copies/mL and 3.70% (n = 4/108) had an invalid plasma viral load. Conclusion: The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of residual replication in patients infected with HIV-1 under Tenofovir, Lamuvidine and Dolutegravir (TLD) followed at the Al-Nadjima/APMS multipurpose center in N’Djamena, Chad. The prevalence of residual replication in this study was 22.22%. This study demonstrated that individuals with a persistent viral load below 1000 copies/mL were at increased risk of therapeutic and virological failure due to the lack of consensus and failure to control the phenomenon of residual replication in patients infected with HIV-1 under TLD