Which of the following is a common clinical application for identifying SNPs in patients?

• A. SNPs have been useful in optimizing the treatment of HIV.
• B. SNPs have been useful in diagnosing metabolic syndrome.
• C. SNPs have been used to facilitate transcription-mediated amplification.
• D. Currently, there are no clinical applications for the identification of SNPs as these are silent and have no apparent function.

Answer: (A)

Single nucleotide polymorphisms can influence how a person responds to drugs, guiding personalized treatment choices. In HIV care, this is a practical and well-established use: testing for certain SNPs helps tailor therapy to maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity. A classic example is screening for the HLA-B*57:01 allele before starting abacavir to prevent a severe hypersensitivity reaction. Beyond that, host genetic variations like CYP2B6 can affect how much efavirenz stays in the blood, informing dosing decisions to reduce adverse effects. These kinds of pharmacogenetic tests are routinely used in clinical practice to optimize HIV treatment.

Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed by clinical criteria rather than genetic testing, and SNPs are not used to diagnose it in routine care. Transcription-mediated amplification is a laboratory technique for detecting nucleic acids, not a process that relies on identifying patient SNPs. The statement that there are no clinical applications for SNP identification is inaccurate given the clear role SNPs play in guiding HIV therapy.