Drain, PK, Kleene, JM, Coleman, SM, Losina, E, Katz, JN, Giddy, J, Ross, D, Freedberg, KA, and Bassett, IV
Objectives The World Health Organization ( WHO) recommends screening HIV-infected people for cryptococcal antigens to identify cryptococcosis, a major cause of AIDS-related deaths. As the burden of cryptococcosis is unknown in South Africa's Kwa Zulu- Natal province, we assessed the cryptococcal antigenuria prevalence among newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults there. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults who received voluntary HIV testing in an out-patient clinic. Participants provided a urine specimen in a sterile container, and we performed testing with a WHO-endorsed rapid cryptococcal antigen lateral flow assay ( Immy Inc., Norman, OK, USA) per the manufacturer's specifications. We assessed cryptococcal antigenuria prevalence among participants with CD4 counts < 200 cells/μL, and stratified results by CD4 count categories. Results Among 432 participants, the mean (± standard deviation) age was 36.1 ± 9.9 years and 172 (40%) were female. The overall estimated prevalence of cryptococcal antigenuria was 9.0% [95% confidence interval ( CI) 6.5-12.1%]. CD4 counts were available for 319 participants (74%); the median CD4 count was 75 cells/μL [interquartile range ( IQR) 34-129 cells/μL]. Participants with a negative cryptococcal antigenuria screening test had a median CD4 count of 79 cells/μL ( IQR 36-129 cells/μL), while participants with a positive cryptococcal test had a median CD4 count of 41 cells/μL ( IQR 10-112 cells/μL). The estimated prevalence of cryptococcal antigenuria among participants with CD4 counts < 50 cells/μL was 12.5% (95% CI 7.0-20.1%), which was significantly higher than that among participants with CD4 counts of 50-200 cells/μL (4.8%; 95% CI 2.3-8.7%). Conclusions Nearly 1 in 10 newly diagnosed HIV-infected adults with CD4 counts < 200 cells/μL in Kwa Zulu-Natal had evidence of cryptococcal antigenuria. Point-of-care CD4 count testing and cryptococcal antigen screening may rapidly identify cryptococcosis at the time of HIV diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]