Impact of earlier combination antiretroviral therapy on outcomes in children

Lessons Learned From Failures and Success Stories of HIV Breakthroughs: Are We Getting Closer to an HIV Cure?

There is a continuous search for an HIV cure as the success of ART in blocking HIV replication and the role of CD4+ T cells in HIV pathogenesis and immunity do not entirely eradicate HIV. The Berlin patient, who is virus-free, serves as the best model for a 'sterilizing cure' and many experts are trying to mimic this approach in other patients. Although failures were reported among Boston and Essen patients, the setbacks have provided valuable lessons to strengthen cure strategies. Following the Berlin patient, two more patients known as London and Düsseldorf patients might be the second and third person to be cured of HIV. In all the cases, the patients underwent chemotherapy regimen due to malignancy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) which required matching donors for CCR5Δ32 mutation - an approach that may not always be feasible. The emergence of newer technologies, such as long-acting slow-effective release ART (LASER ART) and CRISPR/Cas9 could potentially overcome the barriers due to HIV latency and persistency and eliminate the need for CCR5Δ32 mutation donor. Appreciating the failure and success stories learned from these HIV breakthroughs would provide some insight for future HIV eradication and cure strategies.

Undetectable proviral deoxyribonucleic acid in an adolescent perinatally infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1C and on long-term antiretroviral therapy resulted in viral rebound following antiretroviral therapy termination: A case report with implications for clinical care

RATIONALE

Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) leads to long-term viral suppression, reduces proviral reservoir size, and prolongs time to rebound. Since human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a lifelong disease, diagnostic monitoring after confirmed infection is typically not performed; therefore, little is known about the impact of early initiation and long-term ART on the sensitivity of assays that detect HIV antibodies and viral nucleic acid in children and adolescents.

PATIENT CONCERNS

Here we report 1 case of diagnosed and confirmed perinatal HIV-1C infection with longstanding viral suppression, who subsequently had a negative HIV-1 deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test, undetectable antibodies to HIV-1, and high CD4+ T cell count after 14 years of ART.

DIAGNOSIS

The patient was diagnosed with HIV in 2002 at 1 and 2 months of age using DNA polymerase chain reaction. At 8 months old, his viral load was 1210 HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) copies/mL and CD4 T cell count was 3768 cells/mm.

INTERVENTION

At the age of 9 months, highly active antiretroviral therapy comprising of zidovudine, nevirapine, and lamivudine was initiated. The patient remained on this treatment for 14 years 11 months and was virally suppressed.

OUTCOMES

At the age of 14 years 4 months, the participant decided to visit a local voluntary HIV testing center, where a rapid HIV test came out negative and the viral load was undetectable (<400 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL). These results led to termination of ART which led to viral rebound within 9 months.

LESSONS

As more people with early HIV infection initiate early ART in the context of "Test and Treat all" recommendations, aspects of this report may become more commonplace, with both clinical and public health implications. If the possibility of functional cure (or false-positive diagnosis) is being considered, decisions to terminate ART should be made cautiously and with expert guidance, and may benefit from highly sensitive quantification of the proviral reservoir.

Neurodevelopment at 11 months after starting antiretroviral therapy within 3 weeks of life

BACKGROUND

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) started between 7 and 12 weeks of age improves neurodevelopmental outcomes in HIV-infected (HIV+) infants, but the impact of even earlier initiation is not yet described.

OBJECTIVES

We assessed the early neurodevelopment of HIV+ infants who started ART within 21 days of life.

METHOD

Participants were enrolled from the public sector birth HIV-diagnosis programme. Inclusion criteria included the following: birth weight > 2000 g, infant commencing ART < 6 weeks and no infant cytomegalovirus disease. Antiretroviral therapy included Zidovudine/Lamivudine/Nevirapine for the first 2 weeks, the latter then replaced by Lopinavir/Ritonavir. Once body weight > 3 kg and gestational age > 44 weeks, Abacavir replaced Zidovudine. The Griffiths mental development scales (GMDS) were administered at 10-12 months.

RESULTS

Of 29 infants assessed, 23 (79%) were girls. Mean birth weight was 3002 ± 501 g. Twenty-four mothers (83%) received ART during pregnancy. Seven (24%) infants were diagnosed HIV+ within 48 h of birth. Median [interquartile range] viral load (VL) at diagnosis was 3904 [259-16 922] copies/mL, age starting ART was 6.0 [3-10] days and age at VL suppression was 19.1 [15-36] weeks. At the GMDS assessment, nine (31%) participants had detectable VL and 26 (90%) had World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage I disease. The GMDS was performed at a mean age of 11.5 ± 0.8 months. Mean quotients were within the average range: Global Griffiths score was 103.6 ± 10.9 and mean quotients on the subscales ranged from lowest 95.9 ± 13.4 for locomotor to highest 112.8 ± 11.3 for hearing-and-language.

CONCLUSION

Preliminary findings in this small group suggest that early neurodevelopmental scores are within the normal range in infants with perinatal HIV infection who started ART at a median of 6 days.

Text messaging for maternal and infant retention in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission services: A pragmatic stepped-wedge cluster-randomized trial in Kenya

BACKGROUND

Timely diagnosis of infant HIV infection is essential for antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. In a randomized controlled trial, we found the Texting Improves Testing (TextIT) intervention (a theory-based text messaging system) to be efficacious for improving infant HIV testing rates and maternal retention in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programs. Using an implementation science approach, we aimed to evaluate real-world effectiveness of the intervention.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

In a pragmatic, cluster-randomized, stepped-wedge trial with 2 time periods of observation, we randomly allocated 10 clinics to begin implementing the intervention immediately and 10 clinics to begin implementing 6 months later. To approximate real-world conditions, inclusion criteria were broad. Women at clinics implementing the intervention received up to 14 text messages during pregnancy and after delivery and had the option to respond to text messages, call, or send inquiry text messages to a designated clinic phone. The primary outcomes were infant HIV testing and maternal retention in care during the first 8 weeks after delivery. We used modified Poisson regression with robust variance estimation to estimate the relative risk and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Generalized estimating equations were applied on individual-level data to account for clustering by site. Between February 2015 and December 2016, 4,681 women were assessed for study participation, and 2,515 were included. Participant characteristics at enrollment did not differ by study arm. Overall median age was 27 years (interquartile range [IQR] 23-30), median gestational age was 30 weeks (IQR 28-34), 99% were receiving ART, and 87% who enrolled during intervention phases owned a phone. Of 2,326 infants analyzed, 1,466 of 1,613 (90.9%) in the intervention group and 609 of 713 (85.4%) in the control group met the primary outcome of HIV virologic testing performed before 8 weeks after birth (adjusted relative risk [aRR] 1.03; 95% CI 0.97-1.10; P = 0.3). Of 2,472 women analyzed, 1,548 of 1,725 (90%) in the intervention group and 571 of 747 (76%) in the control group met the primary outcome of retention in care during the first 8 weeks after delivery (aRR 1.12; 95% CI 0.97-1.30; P = 0.1). This study had two main limitations. Staff at all facilities were aware of ongoing observation, which may have contributed to increased rates of infant HIV testing and maternal retention in care at both intervention and control facilities, and programmatic initiatives to improve maternal and infant retention in care were ongoing at all facilities at the time of this study, which likely limited the ability to demonstrate effectiveness of the trial intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, a larger proportion of infants in the intervention group received HIV testing compared with the control group, but the difference was small and not statistically significant. There was also a nonsignificant increase in maternal postpartum retention in the intervention periods. Despite the lack of a significant effect of the intervention, key lessons emerged, both for strengthening PMTCT and for implementation research in general. Perhaps most important, improving the implementation of usual care may have been sufficient to substantially improve infant HIV testing rates.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov Trial Number NCT02350140.

Novel therapies/hopes for HIV cure in perinatally acquired HIV-positive adolescents

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Successful roll-out of paediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) has led to a significant increase in survival of adolescents and young people growing up with HIV. Those on suppressive ART since childhood represent a unique group particularly well positioned to interrupt ART and achieve post-treatment control (PTC), or HIV remission. This maybe a consequence of early and sustained treatment since infancy, the small size of the HIV reservoir, the presence of a functioning thymus and a more 'flexible' immune system better able to respond to novel immune therapeutic interventions when compared with adults who acquired HIV at a time of immunological maturity and thymic involution.

RECENT FINDINGS

In the past year, there have been additional case reports of post-treatment viral control amongst perinatally acquired HIV adolescents and young adults (PaHIV-AYA). In this article, we review and compare the characteristics of PTC in PaHIV-AYA and discuss the potential implications of these observations for the growing population of adolescents living with HIV. The correlation between low levels of HIV DNA and seroreversion may provide a feasible screening tool to select candidates most suitable for future intervention studies and viral remission.

CONCLUSION

Whilst it is premature to anticipate an HIV cure, there is much anticipation that with early ART and additional interventions to perturb the residual viral reservoir, future viral remission off ART might be feasible for PaHIV-AYA. However, given the safety and effectiveness of current ART, a critical debate must evaluate the risks against benefits of any novel intervention, especially amongst adolescents as they become sexually active.

Financial Incentives to Increase Uptake of Pediatric HIV Testing (FIT): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial in Kenya

INTRODUCTION

Index case testing (ICT) to identify HIV-infected children is efficient but has suboptimal uptake. Financial incentives (FI) have overcome financial barriers in other populations by offsetting direct and indirect costs. A pilot study found FI to be feasible for motivating paediatric ICT among HIV-infected female caregivers. This randomised trial will determine the effectiveness of FI to increase uptake of paediatric ICT.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The Financial Incentives to Increase Uptake of Pediatric HIV Testing trial is a five-arm, unblinded, randomised controlled trial that determines whether FI increases timely uptake of paediatric ICT. The trial will be conducted in multiple public health facilities in western Kenya. Each HIV-infected adult enrolled in HIV care will be screened for eligibility: primary caregiver to one or more children of unknown HIV status aged 0-12 years. Eligible caregivers will be individually randomised at the time of recruitment in equal 1:1:1:1:1 allocation to one of five arms (US$0 (control), US$1.25, US$2.50, US$5.00 and US$10.00). The trial aims to randomise 800 caregivers. Incentives will be disbursed at the time of child HIV testing using mobile money transfer or cash. Arms will be compared in terms of the proportion of adults who complete testing for at least one child within 2 months of randomisation and time to testing. A cost-effectiveness analysis of FI for paediatric ICT will also be conducted.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study was reviewed and approved by the University of Washington Institutional Review Board and the Kenyatta National Hospital Ethics and Research Committee. Trial results will be disseminated to healthcare workers at study sites, regional and national policymakers, and with patient populations at study sites (regardless of enrolment in the trial). Randomised trials of caregiver-child FI interventions pose unique study design, ethical and operational challenges, detailed here as a resource for future investigations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03049917; Pre-results.

Index case finding facilitates identification and linkage to care of children and young persons living with HIV/AIDS in Malawi

OBJECTIVES

Evaluation of a novel index case finding and linkage-to-care programme to identify and link HIV-infected children (1-15 years) and young persons (>15-24 years) to care.

METHODS

HIV-infected patients enrolled in HIV services were screened and those who reported untested household members (index cases) were offered home- or facility-based HIV testing and counselling (HTC) of their household by a community health worker (CHW). HIV-infected household members identified were enrolled in a follow-up programme offering home and facility-based follow-up by CHWs.

RESULTS

Of the 1567 patients enrolled in HIV services, 1030 (65.7%) were screened and 461 (44.8%) identified as index cases; 93.5% consented to HIV testing of their households and of those, 279 (64.7%) reported an untested child or young person. CHWs tested 711 children and young persons, newly diagnosed 28 HIV-infected persons (yield 4.0%; 95% CI: 2.7-5.6), and identified an additional two HIV-infected persons not enrolled in care. Of the 30 HIV-infected persons identified, 23 (76.6%) were linked to HIV services; 18 of the 20 eligible for ART (90.0%) were initiated. Median time (IQR) from identification to enrolment into HIV services was 4 days (1-8) and from identification to ART start was 6 days (1-8).

CONCLUSIONS

Almost half of HIV-infected patients enrolled in treatment services had untested household members, many of whom were children and young persons. Index case finding, coupled with home-based testing and tracked follow-up, is acceptable, feasible and facilitates the identification and timely linkage to care of HIV-infected children and young persons.

Paediatric HIV: Progress on Prevention, Treatment and Cure

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review provides an update on current developments with prevention, treatment and cure strategies in the field of pediatric HIV.

RECENT FINDINGS/SUMMARY

There has been tremendous progress in the prevention and treatment of pediatric HIV infection. With new strategies for prevention of mother-to-child transmission, we are growing ever closer towards elimination of pediatric HIV, though challenges with retention of pregnant woman and their HIV-exposed infants remain. Ongoing vigilance regarding the potential hazards of in utero ART exposure to infants continues with no significant alarms yet identified. Though cure has not been achieved, evidence of the impact of early treatment on reducing HIV-1 reservoir size with subsequent prolonged remission has enlivened efforts to rapidly identify and treat HIV-infected newborns. There is an increasing array of treatment options for pediatric patients and reassuring evidence regarding long-term complications of ART. Unfortunately, despite evidence suggesting the benefit of early treatment, timely identification and treatment of children remains a challenge. Better strategies for effective case-finding and engagement in care are urgently needed in addition to an improved understanding of how to retain HIV-positive children and adolescents on treatment. However, further emboldened by recent international commitments and robust global support, the future is hopeful.