A bibliometric analysis of HIV-1 drug-resistant minority variants from 1994 to 2022

Abstract

Background The rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy has become an international trend, necessitating lifelong medication for all HIV patients. Sanger sequencing, as the gold standard for clinically detecting HIV drug resistance, often fails to detect mutations comprising less than 20% of the total viral population. With the advancement of detection technologies, HIV-1 DRMinVs have garnered increasing attention. However, there are few studies exploring the hotspots and trends in this field. Fortunately, bibliometrics, a novel approach to literature analysis, can fill this gap effectively. Methods Publications related to HIV-1 DRMinVs from 1994 to 2022 were searched on the WoSCC database. Visual knowledge maps and bibliometric analyses were generated using VOSviewers, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix." Results In total, 853 publications concerning HIV-1 DRMinVs were identified from 1994 to 2022, demonstrating a steady increase in publication output over the years. The United States, France, and the United Kingdom significantly lead in publication output. The main research institutions are Harvard University, University of Pittsburgh, Stanford University and National Cancer Institute. The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy holds the highest prominence among journals in this domain, while the Journal of Virology emerges as the most frequently co-cited journal. A total of 5687 authors have contributed to these publications. Among them, Vincent Calvez, Francesca Ceccherini-Silberstein, and John M. Coffin emerge as the most prolific authors, having published the highest number of articles. Additionally, Metzner, KJ emerges as the most frequently co-cited author. The main trends include the origins, molecular epidemiology, detection methods of DRMinVs, their impact on virological outcomes in drug-naïve patients, and novel research focuses primarily revolve around keywords such as "NGS," "ART," "VF," and "GRT." Conclusions The use of medication inevitably leads to drug resistance. For HIV-1 DRMinVs, the emergence of NGS has addressed the issue of missed detections by Sanger sequencing. However, its high cost and stringent laboratory requirements have limited its widespread application. Therefore, future research should focus on improving and refining NGS to make it simpler and more affordable, and explore when it can serve as a supplement to Sanger sequencing.