Oseltamivir resistance during treatment of influenza A (H5N1) infection has been reported. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Oseltamivir resistance during treatment of influenza A (H5N1) infection.
N Engl J Med. 2005 Dec 22;353(25):2667-72. PMID: 16371632
Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. [email protected]
Influenza A (H5N1) virus with an amino acid substitution in neuraminidase conferring high-level resistance to oseltamivir was isolated from two of eight Vietnamese patients during oseltamivir treatment. Both patients died of influenza A (H5N1) virus infection, despite early initiation of treatment in one patient. Surviving patients had rapid declines in the viral load to undetectable levels during treatment. These observations suggest that resistance can emerge during the currently recommended regimen of oseltamivir therapy and may be associated with clinical deterioration and that the strategy for the treatment of influenza A (H5N1) virus infection should include additional antiviral agents.