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PURPOSE: Antiretroviral monotherapy and treatment interruption are potential strategies for perinatally HIV-infected adolescents (PHIVA) who face challenges maintaining effective combination antiretroviral therapy (ART). We assessed the use and outcomes for adolescents receiving monotherapy or undergoing treatment interruption in a regional Asian cohort. METHODS: Regional Asian data (2001–2016) were analyzed to describe PHIVA who experienced ≥2 weeks of lamivudine or emtricitabine monotherapy or treatment interruption and trends in CD4 count and HIV viral load during and after episodes. Survival analyses were used for World Health Organization (WHO) stage III/IV clinical and immunologic event-free survival during monotherapy or treatment interruption, and a Poisson regression to determine factors associated with monotherapy or treatment interruption. RESULTS: Of 3,448 PHIVA, 84 (2.4%) experienced 94 monotherapy episodes, and 147 (4.3%) experienced 174 treatment interruptions. Monotherapy was associated with older age, HIV RNA >400 copies/mL, younger age at ART initiation, and exposure to ≥2 combination ART regimens. Treatment interruption was associated with CD4 count

Legal international trade of wild animals is controversial because some experts speculate that it facilitates illegal domestic trade in source countries. Wild-caught birds are commonly traded as pets, both legally and illegally, for international and domestic markets. We used Peru’s native bird trade as a case study to explore the relationship between legal international and illegal domestic trade. Peru’s current quota system started in 2001 and is designed to permit limited export of wild-caught birds, while domestic trade is largely prohibited. We surveyed 40 markets in nine cities (March 2007–July 2011), where we examined tabulated government seizure records and export quotas, and compared proportions of native birds with and without quotas in markets and seizures. Sixteen independent variables were evaluated using generalized linear models to explain native bird abundance in the markets and government seizures. We observed a thriving illegal domestic market with 130 native species (n = 35,279 birds) offered for sale; parrots were the most abundant birds. We found no evidence that Peru’s current quota system facilitated illegal domestic trade; authorities confiscated birds regardless of their quota status. While the current quota system did not influence market abundance, historic export trade did. Peru’s domestic market, and likely other illegal Neotropical bird markets, developed as a consequence of high historic exports, now appears driven, in part, by tradition and which birds harvesters are accustomed to trapping to fullfill domestic demand. Improved enforcement of Peru’s wildlife legislation would likely be more effective in decreasing illegal domestic trade than eliminating quotas.

BACKGROUND The burden of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children and adolescents on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has not been compared globally. METHODS We analyzed cohort data from the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS and the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research in Europe. We included HIV-infected children aged

Illegal wildlife-pet trade can threaten wildlife populations directly from overharvest, but also indirectly as a pathway for introduction of infectious diseases. This study evaluated consequences of a hypothetical introduction of Newcastle disease (ND) into a wild population of Peru’s most trafficked psittacine, the white-winged parakeet (Brotogeris versicolurus), through release of infected confiscated individuals. We developed two mathematical models that describe ND transmission and the influence of illegal harvest in a homogeneous (model 1) and age-structured population of parakeets (model 2). Infection transmission dynamics and harvest were consistent for all individuals in model 1, which rendered it mathematically more tractable compared to the more complex, age-structured model 2 that separated the host population into juveniles and adults. We evaluated the interaction of ND transmission and harvest through changes in the basic reproduction number (R0) and short-term host population dynamics. Our findings demonstrated that ND introduction would likely provoke considerable disease-related mortality, up to 24% population decline in two years, but high harvest rates would dampen the magnitude of the outbreak. Model 2 produced moderate differences in disease dynamics compared to model 1 (R0 = 3.63 and 2.66, respectively), but highlighted the importance of adult disease dynamics in diminishing the epidemic potential. Therefore, we suggest that future studies should use a more realistic, age-structured model. Finally, for the presumptive risk that illegal trade of white-winged parakeets could introduce ND into wild populations, our results suggest that while high harvest rates may have a protective effect on the population by reducing virus transmission, the combined effects of high harvest and disease-induced mortality may threaten population survival. These results capture the complexity and consequences of the interaction between ND transmission and harvest in a wild parrot population and highlight the importance of preventing illegal trade.

Body temperatures of Chalcides ocellatus were measured on a thigmothermal gradient five times during their seasonal activity period. Overall, body temperatures differed among observation periods and females had higher body temperatures than males. However, body temperatures of females and males were similar and relatively high in April when mating occurred, and similar and relatively low in September when females were approximately two months post-parturition. In contrast, body temperatures of females were higher than those of males during the three observation periods during june and july, when females were pregnant or within a few days of parturition. This pattern was most distinct at 1600 h and least distinct at 1100 h