A RESEARCH finding has revealed that using anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to prevent HIV could result in drug resistance if routine screening is not done.

This was the finding of a study circulated at the ongoing M2010 conference at David Lawrence Convention Centre here, in asking whether drug resistance could be a problem if ARVs became the mainstay for HIV prevention.

Ume Abbas, who led a team of researchers, had developed a model to simulate the impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis (Prep) on HIV prevention and drug resistance in the sub-Saharan region, where HIV prevalence is highest, and to identify the determinants contributing mostly to HIV drug resistance.

"That resistance could happen if people who are unknowingly already infected use the approach, so it is important for people to know their status before resorting to any drug intake," Dr Abbas said.

The results of these studies underscore the importance of incorporating routine HIV testing and the on-going monitoring of infection status in any prevention programme that involves the use of ARVS.

Prep, as the approach is called, involves the use of ARVS by HIV-negative people in order to reduce their risk of infection.

With Prep, a single ARV is used typically once a day while one ARV has the potential to prevent HIV in someone who is not infected with the virus.