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Long-Acting MK-8591 Could Be Future Option for HIV Treatment and Prevention |
Merck's MK-8591, n investigational antiretroviral agent that maintains drug levels that are able to inhibit HIV up to 6 months after dosing could represent a "paradigm shift" in HIV therapy and prophylaxis, according to research presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)in Boston.  |
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Personalized Counseling Improves Rate of Entry into HIV Care |
| Entry into HIV care can be increased by around 40% if people receive a point-of-care CD4 test and counseling sessions to overcome personal barriers to seeking HIV care, according to a large randomized study in South Africa presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last month in Boston. However, the study also found that only half of the people who received the most effective linkage intervention and who were in need of immediate treatment made it onto antiretroviral therapy (ART) within 6 months of their HIV diagnosis, highlighting the need for further improvements in linkage to HIV care. |
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More People with HIV Are Achieving Viral Suppression in U.S. |
| A growing proportion of people with HIV are reaching an undetectable viral load on antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to a pair of studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. Despite this improvement, however, a substantial number of people are still not achieving viral suppression, putting them at risk for disease progression and onward transmission. |
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Combination Inhibitor BMS-986197 Demonstrates Good Anti-HIV Activity in Early Study |
| A long-acting bioengineered "combinectin" molecule with a triple mechanism of action demonstrated potent antiviral activity and worked against HIV that developed resistance to any of the 3 separate mechanisms in a laboratory study, and lowered viral load in humanized mice, according to research presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. |
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Removing Clinic Barriers to Rapid ART in Uganda Enables 70% to Start on Same Day |
| Making point-of-care CD4 T-cell count diagnostics available, revising adherence counseling requirements, and giving extra training to healthcare workers can almost quadruple the number of patients who begin antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the day that they are eligible, Gideon Amanyire of Makerere University reported at the at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. The package of health system reforms was provided to a typical "real world" group of clinics in Uganda and was embedded in everyday practice, suggesting that the same intervention could have a similar impact elsewhere. |
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Option B+ Cuts Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Dramatically in Malawi |
| Among women on antiretroviral therapy (ART) prior to pregnancy, early mother-to-child transmission in Malawi’s Option B+ program compares favorably to transmission rates observed in developed countries, Sundeep Gupta told participants at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last week in Boston. |
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TAF/FTC Maintains Viral Suppression as Well as TDF with Less Bone and Kidney Toxicity |
| A fixed-dose coformulation of tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) and emtricitabine (FTC), combined with a variety of third antiretroviral agents, maintained undetectable viral load in people who switched from similar regimens containing the older tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), according to a report presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)this week in Boston. The study also showed improvement in kidney function biomarkers and bone density gains in the group taking TAF/FTC. |
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People with HIV Considerably Overestimate Their Chances of Infecting Someone |
| Only a small proportion of HIV-positive people in a large U.S. treatment study, ACTG A5257, regarded themselves as non-infectious after up to 3 years on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and a third of participants regarded their chance of infecting a partner as still "high," even though only 10% of participants actually had a detectable viral load, according to a report at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston. |
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Dolutegravir Is Safe and Highly Effective for Older Children with HIV |
| Dolutegravir (Tivicay) plus an optimized background regimen is safe, well tolerated, and provides virological efficacy in HIV-infected children from 6 to 12 years of age at 48 weeks, Andrew Wiznia, presenting on behalf of the IMPAACT1093 study group, told participants at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) this week in Boston. |
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Starting HIV Treatment at First Clinic Visit Improves Outcomes in African Study |
| A program to accelerate the process of HIV diagnosis, preparation, and starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa led to a higher proportion of people initiating treatment and better health outcomes, according to results from the RapIT trial presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)taking place this week in Boston. |
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Long-Acting Injectable Cabotegravir + Rilpivirine Works Well as HIV Maintenance Therapy |
| A combination of 2 long-acting injectable antiretrovirals, cabotegravir and rilpivirine, given once every 4 or 8 weeks, maintained viral suppression as well as standard oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) and appeared safe and well-tolerated, according to results from the LATTE 2 trial presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) taking place this week in Boston. |
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Dose-Finding Trials of Antibody-Based Drugs for HIV Prevention To Start Soon |
| The next generation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and even HIV treatment, may consist of antibodies that could be given as an intravenous infusion or an injection into muscle, according to 2 presenters at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. |
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Tailored Support Encourages Black Gay Men to Stay on PrEP |
| Providing culturally tailored counseling and support programs for black men who have sex with men can increase their likelihood of maintaining adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, helping to address a key public health gap in the U.S., according to findings from the HPTN 073 study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last month in Boston. |
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High STI Rates Among Gay Men on PrEP Supports More Frequent Monitoring |
| Participants taking tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) continued to have high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in 2 U.S. PrEP demonstration projects, according to a pair of reports at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. Semi-annual STI testing missed many cases, leading researchers to suggest that gay men on PrEP could benefit from screening every 3 months. |
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Rapid Rise in PrEP Awareness in U.S. Gay Men, But Only 5% Have Used PrEP |
| Large internet surveys of American gay men show that the proportion who have heard of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) jumped from 45% in 2012 to 68% in 2015, with around half of men willing to consider using PrEP -- but that actual usage is far lower and remains concentrated in a few key urban areas where public health authorities have facilitated its uptake, according to data presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)in Boston. |
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Maraviroc May Work as PrEP in a Combination, but Probably Not Alone |
Two studies presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last week in Boston outlined the first findings from the NEXT-PrEP study, otherwise known as HPTN 069. What NEXT-PrEP has discovered so far indicates that the drug maraviroc (Selzentry) could have a role in pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, when used alongside either tenofovir or emtricitabine (the component drugs in Truvada), but is not potent enough to act as PrEP by itself. |
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Studies Look at Condom Use in IPERGAY French PrEP Trial |
An analysis of condom use in the placebo-controlled phase of the French IPERGAY trial of intermittent pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last week in Boston, found that just over half of the participants had high levels of PrEP use but rarely used condoms, and about a quarter were "belt-and-braces" users who had high levels of both PrEP and condom use. However, this left about 1 in 6 trial participants who had low levels of use of both PrEP and condoms. While their condom use did not change, in a minority of this group their PrEP use declined significantly during the study. |
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Long-Acting Cabotegravir PrEP Injection Tolerable and Acceptable, but Dose Adjustment Needed |
Attendees at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last week in Boston heard results from the first Phase 2 (safety, acceptability, and dose-finding) study of a long-lasting injectable formulation of the integrase inhibitor drug cabotegravir for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in HIV-negative people. The previous day researchers also presented a study of the same injectable drug, plus another injectable, rilpivirine, used as treatment for people with HIV. |
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On-Demand Rectal Microbicide Gel Has Reasonable Acceptability -- Daily Less So |
Results from the MTN-017 study of 1% tenofovir gel as a rectal microbicide were presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last week in Boston. The study compares the safety and acceptability of oral tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada) PrEP with the rectal gel either in daily use or used before and after the participant has anal sex as the receptive partner. |
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Modest Kidney Function Decline on Truvada PrEP Supports Need for Monitoring |
Participants taking tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in 2 major studies experienced modest declines in kidney function that were associated with higher tenofovir drug levels and older, according to studies presented in a poster discussion session entitled "It’s Complicated: Renal Function and STIs in PrEP Users" at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last week in Boston. Together, these findings indicate that while Truvada PrEP is safe for most people, ongoing kidney function monitoring is important to promptly catch any problems that may occur. |
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Almost-Certain Case of Truvada PrEP Failure Due to Drug Resistance Reported |
A case report of a man in Toronto who became infected with a multidrug-resistant strain of HIV despite apparently very consistent adherence to PrEP using tenofovir/emtricitabine (Truvada) was presented at the 2016 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections this week in Boston. |
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Vaginal Rings Containing Dapivirine Moderately Effective in Preventing HIV |
| The results of 2 studies announced today at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston show that vaginal rings impregnated with an anti-HIV drug are effective at cutting the HIV infection rate in women. However, the overall effectiveness seen was only moderate, preventing less than a third of infections -- and the primary reason for this was that the rings had no effect at all in the youngest trial participants, aged 18-21, who also had the highest rates of HIV infection. The rings were more effective in older women with almost two-thirds of infections prevented in women over age 25 in the ASPIRE trial. |
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TAF PrEP Protects Monkeys from Infection, But Levels in Humans May Be Too Low |
| A proof-of-concept study showed that the new tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) plus emtricitabine (FTC) protects macaque monkeys from infection with an HIV-like virus, with a degree of protection similar to that previously seen with the older tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), researchers reported at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)this week in Boston. But another study looking at TAF concentrations in rectal and genital tissue samples from women found lower than expected levels, which could mean it won't be as effective as TDF/FTC (Truvada) for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. |
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Bone Density Recovers Quickly After Stopping Truvada PrEP |
| Bone mineral density recovers within 6 months after stopping pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) containing tenofovir, Robert Grant from the University of California at San Francisco reported on behalf of the iPrEx study at Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) this week in Boston. |
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Women and African Americans with HIV Have a Higher Risk of Stroke |
| The risk of stroke among people living with HIV is highest among people with unsuppressed viral load, and among women and African Americans, according to findings presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. |
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Antidepressant Improves HIV-Related Cognitive Impairment |
| The SSRI antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil) was associated with a modest improvement in cognitive function and reduced central nervous system inflammation among people with HIV-related neurocognitive disorder, but the antifungal drug fluconazole showed no apparent benefit even though it reduced oxidative stress, according to a study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last month in Boston. |
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Cotrimoxazole Prophylaxis Provides No Benefit for HIV-Exposed Uninfected Children |
| Challenging current guidelines, prolonged use of cotrimoxazole may not be necessary for HIV-exposed but uninfected children in low-mortality, non-malarial settings with low risk for late mother-to-child transmission throug breastfeeding, Roger Shapiro told participants at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston. |
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HIV-Related Factors Increase Risk of Stroke |
| HIV-related risk factors seem to increase the risk of stroke -- the sudden death of brain cells due to a rupture or obstruction of blood vessels in the brain -- according to ongoing research in a growing number of large epidemiological cohort studies. Recent data from 5 of these were presented during the first-ever poster discussion session on stroke at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), which took place last month in Boston. |
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Early Antiretroviral Therapy Has No Impact on Cardiovascular Disease Marker |
| Starting treatment at a CD4 cell count above 500 cells/mm3 does not lead to improvement in an important early warning sign of cardiovascular disease, and investigators are still unsure whether people who start treatment at high CD4 counts will have the same increased risk of cardiovascular disease as that reported in people with HIV over the past 15 years, according to findings presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston last week. |
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Study Does Not Support Routine HPV Vaccination to Prevent Anal Cancer in People with HIV |
| The quadrivalent HPV vaccine Gardasil does not protect older adults with HIV against persistent anal infection with human papillomavirus or the development of high-grade anal lesions (HSIL), but the ACTG A5298 study showed some evidence that it may protect against persistent oral HPV infection, Timothy Wilkin of Weill Cornell Medical College reported at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last week in Boston. |
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Early Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces the Risk of Infection-Related Cancers |
| People who started antiretroviral therapy at a CD4 cell count above 500 had a significantly lower risk of developing a cancer with an infectious cause when compared to people who started treatment at a CD4 count of 350 or below, an analysis of the START study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston has shown. |
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HIV in the Brain -- New Tools and Treatment to Keep Your Mind Beautiful |
| In the future, HIV-related neurocognitive disorder (HAND) may become less common because of the earlier use of antiretroviral therapy (ART), but neurological disease -- caused by a number of different factors -- will remain an important issue as people with HIV live longer, according to several presentations in a symposium called "A beautiful Mind, Keeping It," held at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston. |
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Tenofovir HIV Treatment Raises Risk of Broken Bones |
| Treatment containing tenofovir is associated with a higher risk of bone fractures in people living with HIV, but a single infusion of zoledronic acid -- a drug used in the treatment of osteoporosis -- can protect against bone loss, a pair of studies presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) this week in Boston show. |
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Bone Density Recovers Quickly After Stopping Truvada PrEP |
| Bone mineral density recovers within 6 months after stopping pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) containing tenofovir, Robert Grant from the University of California at San Francisco reported on behalf of the iPrEx study at Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) this week in Boston. |
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Partner Notification of HIV Status Is Feasible and Effective In African Settings |
| Partner notification programs, offering testing to the sexual partners of people newly diagnosed with HIV, have rarely been implemented in African countries, but can be highly effective there, studies presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)show. A randomized study in Kenya found that partner notification services were able to test 42% of partners mentioned, increasing testing rates 4-fold. |
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Studies Probe Retention in Care for HIV+ Women Who Start ART During Pregnancy |
| Engaging lay counselors to provide a combination package of evidence-based interventions in Nyanza, Kenya, and addressing partner disclosure, as well as pre-treatment education about the benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for maternal and child health in Malawi’s Option B+ program improved retention in care and reduced loss to follow-up of mothers with HIV and their infants, studies presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) show. |
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PopART Shows Feasibility of Reaching 90-90-90 HIV Testing and Treatment Targets |
| Early findings from the PopART study of the impact of a test-and-treat strategy on antiretroviral treatment coverage and HIV incidence show that after one round of household-based testing, linkage to care, and offer of immediate antiretroviral therapy, 90% of adults knew their HIV status and 71% of adults diagnosed with HIV were on treatment, according to preliminary findings presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston. The primary outcome of the study -- the impact of expanded treatment coverage on HIV incidence -- is expected to be reported in mid-2018. |
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Transgender People at High Risk for HIV, But Little Is Known About Prevention and Treatment |
| Transgender women have among the highest rates of HIV infection, but little is known about HIV prevalence among trans men, Tonia Poteat from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said in a plenary lecture on transgender health and HIV at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)in Boston -- the first ever on this population at CROI. A growing number of studies and prevention and treatment programs are addressing transgender populations, but more research is needed. |
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High Levels of Chemsex and Slamsex Seen Among HIV+ Men at U.K. HIV Clinics |
| A survey of HIV-positive clients attending 30 HIV clinics in England and Wales, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston, has found that nearly a third (29%) of gay male patients reported engaging in "chemsex" (defined by the researchers as "the use of drugs to increase disinhibition and arousal") in the past year and that 1 in 10 reported "slamsex" (injecting or being injected with such drugs). Figures were higher for some subgroups: 37% of Londoners reported chemsex and nearly 1 in 5 (19%) of men on antiretroviral therapy (ART) reported slamsex. |
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Injection-Related Indiana HIV Epidemic Is Under Control, But Vigilance Needed |
| Extensive epidemiological investigation followed by prevention and treatment interventions have largely succeeded in controlling an outbreak of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in rural Indiana linked to injection of prescription opioids, but new cases continue to appear and many other communities may be at risk for similar outbreaks, according to presentations at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last week in Boston. |
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HIV Home Testing During Pregnancy Doubles Male Partners Who Test |
| A program of home visits, partner education, and HIV testing for couples in Kenya was able to double the proportion of men who tested during their partner’s pregnancy, Carey Farquhar from the University of Washington reported at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston last week. Partners became aware of each other’s HIV status without this being linked to an increase in intimate partner violence. |
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Expanding Treatment and PrEP Could Prevent 185,000 New HIV Infections, CDC Says |
| Increasing diagnosis, care, and treatment of people living with HIV could lead to a large decrease in HIV incidence, preventing some 168,000 new infections by the year 2020, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last week in Boston. The impact of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) would be comparatively modest, but its importance would be greater if more HIV-positive people are not on treatment with undetectable viral load. |
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Life Expectancy of HIV-Positive People in U.S. Still Lags 13 Years Behind HIV-Negatives |
| A study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) comparing life expectancies of HIV-positive and HIV-negative people within the Kaiser Permanente health system has found that although life expectancy among HIV-positive people has improved, expected life at age 20 remains 13 years behind that of matched HIV-negative people. This 13-year gap did not improve between 2008 and 2011, the last year of follow-up in this cohort study. |
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Botswana Close to Reaching 90-90-90 HIV Testing and Treatment Targets |
| Botswana is already close to reaching the 90-90-90 target for HIV testing, treatment, and viral suppression, and is ahead of the United States and most European countries in its efforts to improve treatment coverage, Tendani Gaolathe of the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership reported at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) this week in Boston. |
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Major Disparities Persist in Lifetime Risk of HIV Diagnosis in the U.S. |
| The lifetime risk of being diagnosed with HIV infection in the U.S. has decreased overall during the past decade, falling to 1 in 99, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)this week in Boston. The risk varies widely among population subgroups, however, and half of black gay and bisexual men are likely to become infected if current trends persist. |
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VRC01 Antibody Delays But Does Not Prevent HIV Rebound After ART Interruption |
| VRC01, a broadly neutralizing antibody targeting HIV's CD4 binding site, was able to modestly delay the return of viral replication following interruption of antiviral therapy (ART), according to a study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. VRC01 did not maintain viral suppression on its own, but it may play a role in combination therapy for HIV treatment or a functional cure. |
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Dose-Finding Trials of Antibody-Based Drugs for HIV Prevention To Start Soon |
| The next generation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and even HIV treatment, may consist of antibodies that could be given as an intravenous infusion or an injection into muscle, according to 2 presenters at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last month in Boston. |
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Experimental TLR7 Agonist Suppresses HIV-Like Virus in Monkeys After ART Interruption |
| GS-9620, an investigational toll-like receptor or TLR7 agonist, led to immune activation in a study of macaque monkeys infected with an HIV-like virus, and 2 of the animals treated with multiple doses have maintained viral suppression for at least 3 months after stopping antiretroviral treatment, according to research presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last week in Boston. |
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Advances in Hepatitis C Research |
| Interferon-free therapy can now cure most patients with chronic hepatitis C, but challenges still remain, including persistent liver damage and cancer risk and HCV reinfection after successful treatment. A panel of hepatitis C experts discuss research presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) and related news with HIVandHepatitis.com editor Liz Highleyman in this IFARA video update. |
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Primary Care Providers Can Successfully Treat People with Hepatitis C |
| Direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C delivered by non-specialists such as primary care physicians and nurse practitioners is safe and effective -- even for the most difficult-to-treat patients -- and could potentially help increase the number of people receiving treatment, according to findings from the ASCEND study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last month in Boston. |
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Sofosbuvir/Velpatasvir for Hepatitis C Can Be Administered with Most Antiretrovirals |
| Sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, a forthcoming combination that effectively treats all hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes, can be safely used with most boosted antiretrovirals for HIV/HCV coinfected people, according to a study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last week in Boston. |
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Ravidasvir Plus Sofosbuvir Demonstrates High Cure Rate for HCV Genotype 4 |
| Sofosbuvir plus the investigational HCV NS5A inhibitor ravidasvir, with or without ribavirin, cured 95% to 100% of people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 4, the most common type in Egypt, according to findings from the Pyramid 1 study presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)last week in Boston. |
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Harvoni for 6 Weeks Cures HIV+ People with Acute HCV if Viral Load is Low |
| An interferon- and ribavirin-free regimen of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (Harvoni) taken for just 6 weeks was enough to cure HIV-positive people with recent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection if their HCV viral load was low, but those with high HCV levels may need longer treatment, according to study findings presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)this week in Boston. Presenter Jürgen Rockstroh of the University of Bonn predicted that HCV viral load will become a key factor when making decisions about treating acute hepatitis C. |
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HIV/HBV Coinfection Linked to Worse Immune Recovery and Death |
| HIV-positive people with hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection had impaired CD4 cell recovery after starting antiretroviral (ART) and a higher risk of death than those without hepatitis B, but use of ART regimens containing tenofovir significantly reduced mortality, according to a study presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016)in Boston. |
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South Africa XDR-TB Epidemic Due to Transmission Rather than Viral Evolution |
| A study in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, evaluating the social networks as well as clinical and genotypic data from individuals with extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB)has concluded that transmission -- in both hospitals and households -- has been the primary driver of the XDR-TB epidemic in the province, according to a presentation at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last week in Boston. |
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Large-Scale Household Tuberculosis Screening Shows Feasibility in PopART Trial |
| Offering tuberculosis (TB) screening as part of a home-based HIV testing intervention has the potential to identify numerous TB cases that would otherwise have gone undiagnosed, a report from a large community-based study in Zambia shows. The findings, from the PopART study, were reported by Comfort Phiri of Zambart at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) last week in Boston. |
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Empirical Tuberculosis Treatment Comes Up Short Again |
| A South African trial has found that a strategy allowing primary care nurses to quickly provide empirical tuberculosis (TB) treatment for newly diagnosed people with advanced HIV disease at very high risk but without confirmed TB did not lead to a major reduction in mortality, even though it substantially increased the percentage of people starting TB treatment. Moreover, it may have delayed initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) for some participants when compared to those in a standard of care control arm, according to study results presented at the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2016) in Boston. |
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