Review Article HIV-1 Tropism Test Evaluation: Assessment and Clinical Implications

CCR5 andCXCR4 chemokines receptors are critical coreceptors for the binding ofHIV to specific host cells. Guidelines recommend its assessment in case of virological failure or before prescription ofCCR5 inhibitors. Strategies to assess viral tropismmaybe divided into phenotypic and genotypic assays; registrative trials of CCR5 inhibitors used phenotypic assay, but recently genotypic ones have been used in clinical practice.The presence of CXCR4 is increasing in näıve patients, with both acute and chronic HIV-1 infections; this coreceptor usage is associated with CD4 depletion. The assessment of viral tropism should be considered in every stage of HIV-1 infection.