Opportunistic diseases diminish the clinical benefit of immediate antiretroviral therapy in HIV-tuberculosis co-infected adults with low CD4+ cell counts

SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Iranian People Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Infection

Background: A novel Coronavirus first emerging in Wuhan, China, was named severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). The disease caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 is known as Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). HIV-1 infected individuals may be at risk of COVID-19. Objectives: This cross-sectional study evaluated the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate and COVID-19 prevalence among Iranian HIV-1-infected people. Methods: The study was conducted on 155 HIV-1-infected patients from June 2020 to October 2020. COVID-19 Ab (IgG) was detected using an enzyme immunoassay in serum specimens. Furthermore, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal specimens were collected. Then, the genomic RNA of SARS‐CoV‐2 was detected using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Clinical symptoms of the studied participants with and without COVID-19 were examined. Results: Of 155 HIV-1-infected individuals, 12 (7.7%) had positive real-time PCR results for SARS-CoV-2. Out of 12 (7.7%) patients with COVID‐19, four (33.3%) were males. Anti-COVID Ab (IgG) was detected in 10 (6.5%) participants, of whom eight (80.0%) were males. The most common COVID-19 clinical symptoms, including dry cough, fever, runny nose, anosmia, and hypogeusia, were observed in seven (58.3%), five (41.7%), five (41.7%), five (41.7%), and five (41.7%) patients with COVID-19, respectively. Conclusions: A recent study has shown that the risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in HIV-infected individuals is similar to that in the general population.

Improved detection and management of advanced HIV disease through a community adult TB-contact tracing intervention with same-day provision of the WHO-recommended package of care including ART initiation in a rural district of Mozambique

INTRODUCTION

AIDS-mortality remains unacceptably high in sub-Saharan Africa, largely driven by advanced HIV disease (AHD). We nested a study in an existing tuberculosis (TB) contact-tracing intervention (Xpatial-TB). The aim was to assess the burden of AHD among high-risk people living with HIV (PLHIV) identified and to evaluate the provision of the WHO-recommended package of care to this population.

METHODS

All PLHIV ≥14 years old identified between June and December 2018 in Manhiça District by Xpatial-TB were offered to participate in the study if ART naïve or had suboptimal ART adherence. Consenting individuals were screened for AHD. Patients with AHD (CD4 < 200 cells/μL or WHO stage 3 or 4) were offered a package of interventions in a single visit, including testing for cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) and TB-lipoarabinomannan (TB-LAM), prophylaxis and treatment for opportunistic infections, adherence support or accelerated ART initiation. We collected information on follow-up visits carried out under routine programmatic conditions for six months.

RESULTS

A total of 2881 adults were identified in the Xpatial TB-contact intervention. Overall, 23% (673/2881) were HIV positive, including 351 TB index (64.2%) and 322 TB contacts (13.8%). Overall, 159/673 PLHIV (24%) were ART naïve or had suboptimal ART adherence, of whom 155 (97%, 124 TB index and 31 TB-contacts) consented to the study and were screened for AHD. Seventy percent of TB index-patients (87/124) and 16% of TB contacts (5/31) had CD4 < 200 cells/µL. Four (13%) of the TB contacts had TB, giving an overall AHD prevalence among TB contacts of 29% (9/31). Serum-CrAg was positive in 4.6% (4/87) of TB-index patients and in zero TB contacts. All ART naïve TB contacts without TB initiated ART within 48 hours of HIV diagnosis. Among TB cases, ART timing was tailored to the presence of TB and cryptococcosis. Six-month mortality was 21% among TB-index cases and zero in TB contacts.

CONCLUSIONS

A TB contact-tracing outreach intervention identified undiagnosed HIV and AHD in TB patients and their contacts, undiagnosed cryptococcosis among TB patients, and resulted in an adequate provision of the WHO-recommended package of care in this rural Mozambican population. Same-day and accelerated ART initiation was feasible and safe in this population including among those with AHD.

A Prognostic Model to Assess Long-Term Survival of Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy: A 15-Year Retrospective Cohort Study in Southwestern China

BACKGROUND

Because there is no assessment tool for survival of people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) who received antiretroviral therapy (ART) in rural southwestern China, we aimed to formulate and validate a simple-to-use model to predict long-term overall survival at the initiation of ART.

METHODS

In total, 36 268 eligible participants registered in the Guangxi autonomous region between December 2003 and December 2018 were enrolled and randomized into development and validation cohorts. Predictive variables were determined based on Cox hazard models and specialists' advice. Discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility were measured, respectively.

RESULTS

The prognostic combined 14 variables: sex, age, marital status, infectious route, opportunistic infection, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related symptoms, body mass index, CD4+ T lymphocyte count, white blood cell, platelet, hemoglobin, serum creatinine, aspartate transaminase, and total bilirubin. Age, aspartate transaminase, and serum creatinine were assigned higher risk scores than that of CD4+ T lymphocytopenia count and having opportunistic infections or AIDS-related symptoms. At 3 time points (1, 3, and 5 years), the area under the curve ranged from 0.75 to 0.81 and the Brier scores ranged from 0.03 to 0.07. The decision curve analysis showed an acceptable clinical net benefit.

CONCLUSIONS

The prognostic model incorporating routine baseline data can provide a useful tool for early risk appraisal and treatment management in ART in rural southwestern China. Moreover, our study underscores the role of non-AIDS-defining events in long-term survival in ART.

A systematic review of the quality of conduct and reporting of survival analyses of tuberculosis outcomes in Africa

BACKGROUND

Survival analyses methods (SAMs) are central to analysing time-to-event outcomes. Appropriate application and reporting of such methods are important to ensure correct interpretation of the data. In this study, we systematically review the application and reporting of SAMs in studies of tuberculosis (TB) patients in Africa. It is the first review to assess the application and reporting of SAMs in this context.

METHODS

Systematic review of studies involving TB patients from Africa published between January 2010 and April 2020 in English language. Studies were eligible if they reported use of SAMs. Application and reporting of SAMs were evaluated based on seven author-defined criteria.

RESULTS

Seventy-six studies were included with patient numbers ranging from 56 to 182,890. Forty-three (57%) studies involved a statistician/epidemiologist. The number of published papers per year applying SAMs increased from two in 2010 to 18 in 2019 (P = 0.004). Sample size estimation was not reported by 67 (88%) studies. A total of 22 (29%) studies did not report summary follow-up time. The survival function was commonly presented using Kaplan-Meier survival curves (n = 51, (67%) studies) and group comparisons were performed using log-rank tests (n = 44, (58%) studies). Sixty seven (91%), 3 (4.1%) and 4 (5.4%) studies reported Cox proportional hazard, competing risk and parametric survival regression models, respectively. A total of 37 (49%) studies had hierarchical clustering, of which 28 (76%) did not adjust for the clustering in the analysis. Reporting was adequate among 4.0, 1.3 and 6.6% studies for sample size estimation, plotting of survival curves and test of survival regression underlying assumptions, respectively. Forty-five (59%), 52 (68%) and 73 (96%) studies adequately reported comparison of survival curves, follow-up time and measures of effect, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The quality of reporting survival analyses remains inadequate despite its increasing application. Because similar reporting deficiencies may be common in other diseases in low- and middle-income countries, reporting guidelines, additional training, and more capacity building are needed along with more vigilance by reviewers and journal editors.

Epidemiological, virological and serological features of COVID-19 cases in people living with HIV in Wuhan City: A population-based cohort study

Background

We aimed to describe the epidemiological, virological and serological features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in people living with HIV (PLWH).

Methods

This population-based cohort study identified all COVID-19 cases among the whole PLWH in Wuhan city, China, by April 16, 2020. The epidemiological, virological and serological features were analyzed based on the demographic data, temporal profile of nucleic acid test for SARS-CoV-2 during the disease, and SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM and IgG after recovery.

Results

From January 1 to April 16, 2020, 35 of 6001 PLWH have experienced COVID-19, with the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 to be 0.58% (95%CI: 0.42%-0.81%). Among the COVID-19 cases, 15 (42.86%) had severe illness, with 2 deaths. The incidence, case-severity and case-fatality of COVID-19 in PLWH were comparable to that in the entire population in Wuhan. 197 persons had cART discontinuation, of whom 4 persons experienced COVID-19. Risk factors for COVID-19 were age ≥50 years old and cART discontinuation. The median duration of SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding among confirmed COVID-19 cases in PLWH was 30 (IQR: 20-46) days. Cases with high HIV viral load (≥20 copies/ml) had lower IgM and IgG levels than those with low HIV viral load (<20 copies/ml) (median S/CO for IgM, 0.03 vs. 0.11, P<0.001; median S/CO for IgG, 10.16 vs. 17.04, P=0.069).

Conclusions

Efforts need to maintain the persistent supply of antiretroviral treatment to elderly PLWH aged 50 years or above during the COVID-19 epidemic. The coinfection of HIV and SARS-CoV-2 might change the progression and prognosis of COVID-19 patients in PLWH.

Specific Biological Features of Adipose Tissue, and Their Impact on HIV Persistence

Although white AT can contribute to anti-infectious immune responses, it can also be targeted and perturbed by pathogens. The AT's immune involvement is primarily due to strong pro-inflammatory responses (with both local and paracrine effects), and the large number of fat-resident macrophages. Adipocytes also exert direct antimicrobial responses. In recent years, it has been found that memory T cells accumulate in AT, where they provide efficient secondary responses against viral pathogens. These observations have prompted researchers to re-evaluate the links between obesity and susceptibility to infections. In contrast, AT serves as a reservoir for several persistence pathogens, such as human adenovirus Ad-36, Trypanosoma gondii, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, influenza A virus, and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The presence and persistence of bacterial DNA in AT has led to the concept of a tissue-specific microbiota. The unexpected coexistence of immune cells and pathogens within the specific AT environment is intriguing, and its impact on anti-infectious immune responses requires further evaluation. AT has been recently identified as a site of HIV persistence. In the context of HIV infection, AT is targeted by both the virus and the antiretroviral drugs. AT's intrinsic metabolic features, large overall mass, and wide distribution make it a major tissue reservoir, and one that may contribute to the pathophysiology of chronic HIV infections. Here, we review the immune, metabolic, viral, and pharmacological aspects that contribute to HIV persistence in AT. We also evaluate the respective impacts of both intrinsic and HIV-induced factors on AT's involvement as a viral reservoir. Lastly, we examine the potential consequences of HIV persistence on the metabolic and immune activities of AT.