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A Test for Each Stage |
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Drug resistance testing plays an important role in all stages of the HIV treatment continuum. To optimize the use of resistance testing, it is important to choose the right test at each stage of treatment. Click here to view a graph depicting the value of each type of resistance test in relation to treatment experience. An explanation of the test pertinent to each stage of therapy appears below.
Genotype Resistance Testing (GeneSeq™ HIV)
New infection and early lines of therapy — genotypic testing can provide relatively straightforward information for early-stage treatment planning; test results become more difficult to interpret as treatment experience increases. Click here to learn more.
Phenotype Resistance Testing (PhenoSense™ HIV)
Treatment failure in middle lines of therapy as the number of mutations increases — phenotypic testing provides individualized, "quantitative" results through a direct measure of drug susceptibility; quantitative nature provides insight into degrees of susceptibility rather than the "Yes" or "No" results of genotyping that can be complex. Click here to learn more.
Combined Phenotype + Genotype Resistance Testing
(PhenoSense GT™)
Later stages of therapy with multi-drug resistant virus — the degree of susceptibility (phenotype) plus the build-up of mutations (genotype) are highly valuable pieces of information for optimizing therapy after multiple treatment failures; genotype identifies mixtures of wild-type and resistant viruses. Combined testing is most appropriate after 2nd-line regimen failure. Click here to learn more.
Viral Fitness (Replication Capacity)
Available with PhenoSense HIV and PhenoSense GT —
The Replication Capacity (RC) assay measures HIV's ability to make copies of itself, or replicate. RC testing is a way to measure the fitness of HIV. The test is performed by comparing an individual's virus to a reference, or wild-type, virus that is known to be good at making copies of itself. The wild-type virus has an RC of 100%. Knowing the RC of a patient's virus can help healthcare providers decide whether to delay, start, stop, switch, or interrupt treatment for the patient.
Click here to proceed to the Glossary
The Self-Assessment can help you decide which HIV resistance test is most suitable for you. And the Find a Clinic tool can put you in touch with a healthcare provider who can order the assay.
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Submit your questions to our resident expert. And refer to sample questions to begin a dialogue with your healthcare provider. |
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| Is an HIV drug resistance test right for you? If so, which kind? Click here |
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Find out what HIV experts say about resistance testing.
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| How has testing affected your HIV therapy? Click here |
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