Rescue therapy with an albuvirtide-based antiretroviral regimen in an HIV-infected child with multidrug resistance and multiple opportunistic infections: a case report

BACKGROUND: Managing multidrug-resistant (MDR) HIV infections in children is particularly challenging due to the lack of experience with new drugs in the pediatric setting. Second-line albuvirtide (ABT) with an optimized antiretroviral background therapy was approved for adults and adolescents after first-line treatment failure. This paper describes the treatment outcomes and adverse effects of an ABT-based dual-active antiretroviral treatment regimen in a child with MDR HIV strains. CASE PRESENTATION: A 13 year-old Chinese female patient infected with MDR HIV strains showed a decrease in viral load (from 4.48 log10 to 1.73 log10) and an increase in CD4 + T cells (from 15 to 308 cells/µl) after 12 months of treatment with an ABT-based antiretroviral regimen. The child showed no relevant drug-related adverse reactions. CONCLUSIONS: The case reported here could suggest that an ABT-based antiretroviral therapy might be beneficial and without relevant toxicity in children with MDR HIV. Infectiologists specializing in managing HIV should be prepared to manage an increasing number of children with MDR HIV. ABT might be a new treatment option for MDR HIV infection in children.