LAUSR

Drug resistance mutations (DRMs) may reduce the efficacy of antiviral therapy. However, the studies focused on naturally occurring, pre‐existing DRMs among co‐infected patients in China are limited. To investigate DRMs prevalence in treatment‐naïve human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) mono‐ and co‐infected patients in China, a total of 570 patients were recruited for this study. DRMs sequences were amplified and successfully sequenced in 481 of these patients, who were grouped into three cohorts: (i) The HBV cohort included 100 HIV/HBV co‐infected and 110 HBV mono‐infected patients who were sequenced for HBV; (ii) The HCV cohort included 91 patients who were HIV/HCV co‐infected and 72 who were HCV mono‐infected for HCV sequencing; and (iii) The HIV cohort included 39 HIV mono‐infected, 22 HIV/HCV, and 47 HIV/HBV co‐infected patients for HIV sequencing. Next‐generation sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used in this study. The results showed that in the HCV cohort, HCV genotypes 6a (P < 0.001) and 3b (P = 0.004) were more prevalent in HIV/HCV co‐infected patients, however, the prevalence of HBV and HIV genotypes were similar within the HBV and HIV cohorts. HBV DRMs prevalence was significantly higher in HIV/HBV co‐infected than HBV mono‐infected patients (8.0% vs 0.9%, P = 0.015), whereas HCV and HIV DRMs did not differ within the HCV and HIV cohort (P > 0.05). This study revealed that HBV DRMs were more prevalent in HIV/HBV co‐infected patients in China, while DRMs in HCV and HIV patients did not differ. Further dynamic surveillance of DRMs may be needed.