[Cerebral toxoplasmosis in the infectious diseases department of the CHU du Point G in people living with HIV]

Toxoplasmosis is defined as a cosmopolitan protozoan disease caused by an obligate intracellular coccidia, Toxoplasma gondii. The advent of HIV infection has made cerebral toxoplasmosis one of the most widespread neurological opportunistic infections.

METHOD

We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study with retrospective review of files of cerebral toxoplasmosis on HIV infected patients who had been hospitalized in the infectious diseases department of Point G University Hospital between January 1st, 2014 and September 30th, 2019.

RESULTS

During the study period, the frequency of cerebral toxoplasmosis was 10.1% and in 46.4% of the patients, the diagnosis led to the discovery of HIV co-infection. The clinical features were characterized by fever, headaches, and motor deficit at 86.6%, 84.5% and 69.1% respectively. Roundel image on computed tomography was most represented and was found in 24.4% of patients. Anti-toxoplasma treatment based on trimethoprim /sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) associated with folinic acid was initiated in 78 patients out of 90, but 19 patients had a contraindication or adverse effects to this combination and were treated with clindamycin. HAART was initiated in 31 patients out of 45 (68.9%) newly diagnosed. The overall prognosis was limited with a mortality rate of 42%.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of cerebral toxoplasmosis was high in our study, 10.1%. To reduce this prevalence, chemoprophylaxis should be initiated in all HIV-infected patients with a CD4 count below 200 cells/mm3.

Performance Comparison of Xpert HIV-1 Viral Load Assay and Roche Taqman and Abbott M2000 RT in Bamako, Mali

BACKGROUND

Routine monitoring of HIV-1 Viral Load (VL) is important in patients on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) management. Access to HIV VL remains a challenge in resource-limited settings, especially in rural areas. Universal access to VL requires more simplified and less restrictive alternatives to current conventional VL methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of the new rapid (2-hour turnaround time) Xpert HIV-1VL technique compared to Roche TaqMan and Abbott RT m2000 for HIV-1 RNA quantification in HIV- infected patients.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a cross-sectional study in patients seen for routine VL monitoring between August and November 2018 in a HIV care site in Bamako. The performance of the Xpert HIV-1 VL assay was evaluated against the Roche TaqMan assay and Abbott m2000 RT assay. Performance, utility and reliability/reproducibility were verified using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, Diagnostic Odds Ratio (DOR), Kappa coefficient, Pearson correlation coefficient, and Bland-Altman analysis.

RESULTS

The Xpert assay compared well with the two current referral assays (Roche TaqMan and Abbott m2000 RT assays). Compared to Roche TaqMan assay the sensitivity was 93.10%, specificity (97.01%) and accuracy (95.20%), the correlation coefficient of Pearson (r) was 0.98 (p <0.01). Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean difference of 0.18 log10 cp/mL; (Standard Deviation) SD=0.33. Compared to the Abbott m2000 RT, the sensitivity, the specificity and the accuracy were respectively 93.44%; 92% and 92.65%. The Xpert HIV-1 VL assay showed a good correlation with a correlation coefficient of Pearson, r=0.99 (p <0.001). The overall mean difference in the HIV-1 VL values obtained by Xpert HIV-1 VL and Abbott m2000 RT assays was 0.08 log10 cp/mL; SD=0.30.

CONCLUSION

Xpert HIV-1 VL showed a good performance compared to Roche TaqMan and Abbott m2000 RT. With the rapid test results (less than 2 h) and ease of testing individual specimens, the Xpert HIV-1 VL assay could be an effective alternative for HIV VL monitoring in resource-limited settings.

[Role Of Emigration In The Spread Of HIV Infection In The Region Of Kayes, Mali]

AIM

To determine the impact of emigration on HIV transmission in the Kayes region.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

It was a cross-sectional study conducted in 2007 in the Fousseyni DAOU Hospital of Kayes. A total of 109 subjects were included - all participants were over 14 years old and were diagnosed as HIV positive. The variables studied were knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding HIV/AIDS, the notion of traveling outside of Mali and emigration. Pearson Chi² and Fisher test were used for a bivariate analysis.

RESULTS

The female/male sex ratio was of 2.51. In this data pool, 32.3% (10/31) of men were emigrants. More than a third 37.2% (29/78) of women had an emigrant as a sexual partner. There was no significant difference in the levels of knowledge regarding HIV between emigrants and those who never went abroad. The likelihood of having had relations with a sex worker in the preceding 12 months was nine times higher for an emigrant than to a non-emigrant [OR=9.13, CI 95% (2.20 - 37.84)].

An emigrant was five times more likely to have at least two sexual partners [OR=5.11, CI 95% (1.37-18.94)].

CONCLUSION

This study showed that emigration is an important factor regarding the spread of HIV in the region of Kayes Mali. Sensitization of the candidates to emigration must be reinforced.

[Cerebral toxoplasmosis during AIDS in the infectious diseases department of Point-G Teaching Hospital, Bamako, Mali]

Cerebral toxoplasmosis is common opportunistic infections of central nervous system in AIDS. It occurs most often in case of severe immunosuppression. The aim of this study is to investigate the general characteristics of cerebral toxoplasmosis during HIV infection and AIDS in hospital area in Bamako. It is a retrospective study of 5 years (form January 2001 to December 2005), conducted in the infectious diseases department of Point G Teaching Hospital of Bamako. It concerned all patients infected with HIV, hospitalized for cerebral toxoplasmosis. The diagnosis of cerebral toxoplasmosis was based on clinical, C T and therapeutic arguments. A total of 745 patients investigated, 26 met cerebral toxoplasmosis diagnostic criteria (14 men and 12 women). The rate of cerebral toxoplasmosis in the study population was 3.5%. The average age was 38.1 years (18-58 years). Focused neurological deficit (73.07%), intracranial hypertension signs (69.20%), meningeal syndrome (15.40%), seizures (57.69%) and consciousness disorders (30.80%) were the clinical characteristics. Hypodensity with or without peripheral enhancement images (93.75%) were found on CT. The average rate of CD4 T cells was 98.7cells/mm3 (5-473 cells/mm3). Oropharyngeal candidiasis in 61.53% of cases, intestinal cryptosporidiosis (11.53%), herpes zoster (3.84%) and Pott's disease (3.84%) were the opportunistic infections associated. Cotrimoxazole was used in 88.46% of patients and 3 patients (11.54%) received the standard treatment (Sulfadiazine-Pyrimethamine). Antitoxoplasmic treatment led to a clinical improvement in 84.61% and 4 deaths (15.39%). were recorded. The technical platform for etiological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is not available at the Point-G Teaching Hospital, so in case of encephalitis signs in a HIV positive patient, CT should be urgently perform and a treatment trial must begin without delay.

Identification and characterization of CRF02_AG, CRF06_cpx, and CRF09_cpx recombinant subtypes in Mali, West Africa

Abstract Multiple HIV-1 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) are known to cocirculate in Africa. In West Africa, the high prevalence of CRF02_AG, and cocirculation of subtype A, CRF01_AE, CRF06_cpx, and other complex intersubtype recombinants has been well documented. Mali, situated in the heart of West Africa, is likely to be affected by the spread of recombinant subtypes. However, the dynamics of the spread of HIV-1 recombinant subtypes as well as nonrecombinant HIV-1 group M subtypes in this area have not been systematically assessed. Herein, we undertook genetic analyses on full-length env sequences derived from HIV-1-infected individuals living in the capital city of Mali, Bamako. Of 23 samples we examined, 16 were classified as CRF02_AG and three had a subsubtype A3. Among the remaining HIV-1 strains, CRF06_cpx and CRF09_cpx were each found in two patients. Comparison of phylogenies for six matched pol and full-length env sequences revealed that two strains had discordant subtype/CRF designations between the pol and env regions: one had A3(pol)CRF02_AG(env) and the other had CRF02_AG(pol)A3(env). Taken together, our study demonstrated the high prevalence of CRF02_AG and complexity of circulating HIV-1 strains in Mali. It also provided evidence of ongoing virus evolution of CRF02_AG, as illustrated by the emergence of more complex CRF02_AG/A3 intersubtype recombinants in this area.