Phenotype & Genotype Testing

Phenotype and Genotype Testing

• Phenotype testing determines the ability of a virus to grow in the presence of antiretroviral drugs by comparing its response to that of a laboratory reference virus strain known to be 100% susceptible to all antiretroviral drugs
• Genotype testing compares the amino acid sequence of a patient’s HIV strain to that of a drug-sensitive reference virus. Based on the mutations detected, an interpretation algorithm is used to predict those drugs to which the patient’s virus may exhibit reduced susceptibility