Virologic Treatment Failure and Drug Resistance in HIV-infected Kenyan Children (RESPECT)

The primary objective of this study is to use a well-characterized pediatric AMPATH cohort, with detailed medication-taking, drug level, and clinical data, to longitudinally evaluate treatment failure and drug resistance to improve long-term care for HIV-infected children in Kenya and other RLS. Examining treatment failure and drug resistance emergence in children on ART and what factors impact these negative outcomes, will provide needed data to critically evaluate the efficacy of current ART, weight-based pediatric drug dosing guidelines, and recommendations for subsequent therapies. The objective is to specifically characterize how non-adherence leads to a lack of viral suppression and to drug resistance evolution, and how this characterization can inform interventions to improve adherence and increase treatment success.