HIV and Tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 1997–2002
Emerg Infec Dis 2007 Oct 10;13(10):1463-9
Tran Ngoc Buu*†, Rein M.G.J. Houben‡§1, Hoang Thi Quy*, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan*, Martien W. Borgdorff†‡ and Frank G.J. Cobelens†‡
In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, reporting rates for tuberculosis (TB) are rising in an emerging HIV epidemic. To describe the HIV epidemic among TB patients and quantify its impact on rates of reported TB, we performed a repeated cross-sectional survey from 1997 through 2002 in a randomly selected sample of inner city TB patients. We assessed effect by adjusting TB case reporting rates by the fraction of TB cases attributable to HIV infection.
HIV, Hepatitis C, and Hepatitis B Infections and Associated Risk Behavior in Injection Drug Users, Kabul, Afghanistan
Emerg Infect Dis 2007 Sep 10;13(9):1327-31
Catherine S. Todd*, Abdullah M.S. Abed†, Steffanie A. Strathdee*, Paul T. Scott‡, Boulos A. Botros§ Naqibullah Safi†, and Kenneth C. Earhart§
Limited prevalence data for HIV, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and hepatitis C virus (HCV) exist for Afghanistan. We studied a cross-sectional sample of adult injection drug users (IDUs) in Kabul, Afghanistan, from June 2005 through June 2006. Study participants completed interviewer-administered questionnaires and underwent testing for HIV, antibody to HCV, and HBsAg. Overall prevalences of HIV, HCV, and HBsAg were 3.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7%–5.1%), 36.6% (95% CI 32.2%–41.0%), and 6.5% (95% CI 4.2%–8.7%), respectively (N = 464). Among male IDUs (n = 463), risky behavior, including sharing syringes (50.4%), paying women for sex (76.2%), and having sex with men or boys (28.3%), were common.
Tuberculosis Drug Resistance and HIV Infection, the Netherlands
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 May;13(5):776-8
Catharina Hendrika Haar,*† Frank G.J. Cobelens,*‡ Comments to Author Nico A. Kalisvaart,* Jan J. van der Have,† Paul J.H.J. van Gerven,* and Dick van Soolingen§
In the Netherlands during 1993–2001, multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among newly diagnosed patients was more frequent in those with HIV coinfection (5/308, 1.6%) than in those with no HIV infection (39/646, 0.6%; adjusted odds ratio 3.43, p=0.015).
Worldwide Emergence of Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis
Emerg Infec Dis 2007 Mar 10;13(3):380-7
N. Sarita Shah*1 Abigail Wright,† Gill-Han Bai,‡2 Lucia Barrera,§2 Fadila Boulahbal,¶2 Nuria Martín-Casabona,#2 Francis Drobniewski,**2 Chris Gilpin,††2 Marta Havelková,‡‡2 Rosario Lepe,§§2 Richard Lumb,¶¶2Beverly Metchock,*2 Françoise Portaels,##2 Maria Filomena Rodrigues,***2 Sabine Rüsch-Gerdes,†††2 Armand Van Deun,##2 Veronique Vincent,‡‡‡2,3 Kayla Laserson,* Charles Wells,* and J. Peter Cegielski*
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) has been documented in nearly 90 countries and regions worldwide; 424,203 cases of MDR TB were estimated to have occurred in 2004, which is 4.3% of all new and previously treated TB cases. Treatment for MDR TB patients requires use of second-line drugs for ≥24 months. These drugs are more costly, toxic, and less effective than first-line drugs used for routine treatment of TB. As with other diseases, resistance to TB drugs results primarily from nonadherence by patients, incorrect drug prescribing by providers, poor quality drugs, or erratic supply of drugs.
Pneumocystis Pneumonia in HIV-positive Adults, Malawi
Emerg Infect Dis. 2007 Feb;13(2):325-8
Joep J.G. van Oosterhout,* Miriam K. Laufer,† M. Arantza Perez,* Stephen M. Graham,* Nelson Chimbiya,* Phillip C. Thesing,* Miriam J. Álvarez-Martinez,‡ Paul E. Wilson,‡ Maganizo Chagomerana,* Eduard E. Zijlstra,* Terrie E. Taylor,*§ Christopher V. Plowe,
† and Steven R. Meshnick‡In a prospective study of 660 HIV-positive Malawian adults, we diagnosed Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) using clinical features, induced sputum for immunofluorescent staining, real-time PCR, and posttreatment follow-up.
Subclinical Plasmodium falciparum Infection and HIV-1 Viral Load
AIDS Res Ther 2007 Feb;13(2):351-3
Kimberly C. Brouwer,* Lisa B. Mirel,* Chunfu Yang,* Renu B. Lal,* Margarette S. Kolczak,* Anne M. Van Eijk,† John Ayisi,† Juliana A. Otieno,‡ Bernard L. Nahlen,*§ Richard Steketee,* Ya Ping Shi,*† and Altaf A. Lal*
Twenty-four children that were perinatally infected with HIV were included in this substudy. During monthly visits during the child’s first 2 years of life, malaria and HIV incidence were recorded. Both children with malaria-positive blood smears and those with fever but no smear result available were treated with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine according to national guidelines. At the time of this substudy, none of the study participants were taking antiretroviral drugs.