Use of Amplification Refractory Mutation System PCR assay as a simple and effective 1 tool to detect HIV-1 drug resistance mutations 2 Running title : Use ARMS-PCR to detect HIV drug resistance mutations 3 4

7 1. Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United 8 States 9 2. Department of Immunology and Applied Biotechnology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, 10 Rome, Italy 11 3. “Chantal Biya” International Reference Center, Sequencing Unit, Yaounde, Cameroon 12 4. Faculty of Sciences, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon 13 5. Serology Unit, Medical Diagnostic Center, Yaounde, Cameroon 14 6. Internal Medicine Unit, Edéa Regional Hospital, Edéa, Cameroon 15 7. UNESCO Chair of Interdisciplinary Biotechnology, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, 16 Italy 17 8. Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare Systems, New York, NY, United States. 18 19 # Corresponding author: 20 Phillipe N. Nyambi 21 Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, c/o V.A. Medical Center, 22 423 East 23rd Street, Room 18124N, New York, NY 10010, United States. 23 Tel.: +1 212 263 6769; fax: +1 212 951 6321; E-mail: phillipe.nyambi@nyumc.org 24 JCM Accepted Manuscript Posted Online 18 March 2015 J. Clin. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/JCM.00114-15 Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.