Abstract
The Opinion article by S. Karim
and Q. Karim laments the lack of
an effective conduit between
South Africa's AIDS research and
its prevention and treatment
policies and programmes (Nature
463, 733?734; 2010). We would
like to draw attention to an HIV-1
drug-resistance database, a
scientific resource for regional and
global HIV research that will
enhance surveillance programmes
in southern Africa.
The database was established
by investigators from the
Southern African Treatment and
Resistance Network (SATuRN),
in collaboration with researchers
from the United States and Europe.
SATuRN will provide national
departments of health with highquality,
up-to-date information
to guide delivery of antiretroviral
therapy, helping to ensure the
long-term success of antiretroviral
treatment programmes.
As part of this network, we have
installed a South African mirror of
the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance
Database (HIVDB). This mirror
(www.bioafrica.net/saturn) will
be continuously updated and
released to local investigators in
a curated and readily analysable
form, in the context of more than
120,000 sequences already in the
Stanford HIVDB. Neighbouring
countries that share subtype C as
the predominant virus (the strain
fuelling southern Africa'sAIDS
epidemic) are also providing data.
The mirror will ensure that
subtype-C sequences are
analysed according to standard
state-of-the-art technologies
developed by Stanford HIVDB.
It will help patient management,
allowing quick identification of
resistant strains and systematic
tracking both of resistance
patterns and of prevalence
and distribution of resistance
mutations within different
population groups. It will inform
decisions about new drugs,
diagnostics and treatment
strategies in southern Africa.
Already, the data show that
resistance in newly infected
individuals is still very low (under
5%), as is the accumulation of
thymidine-analogue mutations
that can limit the effectiveness of
second-line antiretroviral therapy.
Investigators, clinicians and
laboratories wishing to take part in
the collaboration should contact
the authors.
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