Virologic and Immunologic Response to Antiretroviral Therapy and Predictors of HIV Type 1 Drug Resistance in Children Receiving Treatment in Abidjan, Côte d'lvoire

We describe changes in HIV-1 viral load, CD4 super(+) T cell percentage, and incidence of drug resistance and factors associated with drug resistance for 134 children receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for approximately 1 year in Abidjan. Between August 1998 and September 2003, ART was initiated for 395 HIV-infected children ages 0-15 years in the Cote d'lvoire national drug access initiative. All 1-year samples with detectable HIV RNA >1000 copies/ml were tested for HIV-1 drug resistance and changes in viral load and CD4 super(+) T cell counts were also determined. At treatment initiation, 80% of children had CD4 super(+) T cell percentages