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BackgroundSame-day HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation is being widely implemented. However, the optimal timing of ART among patients with tuberculosis (TB) symptoms is unknown. We hypothesized that same-day treatment (TB treatment for those diagnosed with TB; ART for those not diagnosed with TB) would be superior to standard care in this population.Methods and findingsWe conducted an open-label trial among adults with TB symptoms at initial HIV diagnosis at GHESKIO in Haiti; participants were recruited and randomized on the same day. Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to same-day treatment (same-day TB testing with same-day TB treatment if TB diagnosed; same-day ART if TB not diagnosed) versus standard care (initiating TB treatment within 7 days and delaying ART to day 7 if TB not diagnosed). In both groups, ART was initiated 2 weeks after TB treatment. The primary outcome was retention in care with 48-week HIV-1 RNA

The ancient disease cholera remains a major public health threat in countries lacking safe drinking water, optimal sanitation, and preventive hygiene practices (1). In Haiti, which had not had a [...]

Introduction: Adolescents living with HIV are subject to multiple co-morbidities, including growth retardation and immunodeficiency. We describe growth and CD4 evolution during adolescence using data from the Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research (CIPHER) globalproject. Methods: Data were collected between 1994 and 2015 from 11 CIPHER networks worldwide. Adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV infection (APH) who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) before age 10 years, with at least one height or CD4 count measurement while aged 10-17 years, were included. Growth was measured using height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ, stunting if Results: A total of 20,939 and 19,557 APH were included for the growth and CD4 analyses, respectively. Half were females, two-thirds lived in East and Southern Africa, and median age at ART initiation ranged from 7 years in sub-Saharan African regions. At age 10, stunting ranged from 6% in North America and Europe to 39% in the Asia-Pacific; 19% overall had CD4 counts Conclusions: Growth patterns during adolescence differed substantially by sex and region, while CD4 patterns were similar, with an observed CD4 decline that needs further investigation. Early diagnosis and timely initiation of treatment in early childhood to prevent growth retardation and immunodeficiency are critical to improving APH growth and CD4 outcomes by the time they reach adulthood. Keywords: adolescent; CD4; cohort studies; growth; HIV; perinatally acquired Additional information may be found under the Supporting Information tab of this article., 1 | INTRODUCTION In 2019, an estimated 1.7 million adolescents aged 10-19 years were living with HIV worldwide, with 90% of them in sub-Saharan Africa, and 8% in Asia and [...]

BackgroundTreatment outcomes for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis remain poor. We aimed to estimate the association of treatment success and death with the use of individual drugs, and the optimal number and duration of treatment with those drugs in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.MethodsIn this individual patient data meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to identify potentially eligible observational and experimental studies published between Jan 1, 2009, and April 30, 2016. We also searched reference lists from all systematic reviews of treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis published since 2009. To be eligible, studies had to report original results, with end of treatment outcomes (treatment completion [success], failure, or relapse) in cohorts of at least 25 adults (aged >18 years). We used anonymised individual patient data from eligible studies, provided by study investigators, regarding clinical characteristics, treatment, and outcomes. Using propensity score-matched generalised mixed effects logistic, or linear regression, we calculated adjusted odds ratios and adjusted risk differences for success or death during treatment, for specific drugs currently used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, as well as the number of drugs used and treatment duration.FindingsOf 12 030 patients from 25 countries in 50 studies, 7346 (61%) had treatment success, 1017 (8%) had failure or relapse, and 1729 (14%) died. Compared with failure or relapse, treatment success was positively associated with the use of linezolid (adjusted risk difference 0·15, 95% CI 0·11 to 0·18), levofloxacin (0·15, 0·13 to 0·18), carbapenems (0·14, 0·06 to 0·21), moxifloxacin (0·11, 0·08 to 0·14), bedaquiline (0·10, 0·05 to 0·14), and clofazimine (0·06, 0·01 to 0·10). There was a significant association between reduced mortality and use of linezolid (-0·20, -0·23 to -0·16), levofloxacin (-0·06, -0·09 to -0·04), moxifloxacin (-0·07, -0·10 to -0·04), or bedaquiline (-0·14, -0·19 to -0·10). Compared with regimens without any injectable drug, amikacin provided modest benefits, but kanamycin and capreomycin were associated with worse outcomes. The remaining drugs were associated with slight or no improvements in outcomes. Treatment outcomes were significantly worse for most drugs if they were used despite in-vitro resistance. The optimal number of effective drugs seemed to be five in the initial phase, and four in the continuation phase. In these adjusted analyses, heterogeneity, based on a simulated I2 method, was high for approximately half the estimates for specific drugs, although relatively low for number of drugs and durations analyses.InterpretationAlthough inferences are limited by the observational nature of these data, treatment outcomes were significantly better with use of linezolid, later generation fluoroquinolones, bedaquiline, clofazimine, and carbapenems for treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. These findings emphasise the need for trials to ascertain the optimal combination and duration of these drugs for treatment of this condition.FundingAmerican Thoracic Society, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, European Respiratory Society, Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Introduction Syphilis and HIV screening is highly recommended for pregnant women and those at risk for infection. We used conjoint analysis to identify factors associated with testing preferences for HIV and syphilis infection. Methods We recruited 298 men and women 18 years and over seeking testing or care at GHESKIO (Haitian Study Group for Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections) clinics. We created eight hypothetical dual HIV-syphilis test profiles varying across six dichotomous attributes. Participants were asked to rate each profile using Likert preference scales. An impact score was generated for each attribute by taking the difference between the preference scores for the preferred and non-preferred level of each attribute. Two-sided one-sample t-test was used to generate p values. Results Of 298 study participants, 61 (20.5%) were male. Of 237 females, 49 (20.7%) were pregnant. Cost (free vs. US$4; p

BackgroundDual rapid tests for HIV and syphilis infections allow for detection of HIV infection and syphilis at the point-of-care. Those tests have been evaluated in laboratory settings and show excellent performance but have not been evaluated in the field. We evaluated the field performance of the SD BIOLINE HIV/Syphilis Duo test in Port-au-Prince, Haiti using whole blood fingerprick specimens.MethodsGHESKIO (Haitian Study Group for Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections) clinic attendees 18 years of age or older were invited to participate. Venipuncture blood specimens were used for reference testing with standard commercially available tests for HIV and syphilis in Haiti. The sensitivity and specificity of the Duo test compared to the reference standard were calculated. The exact binomial method was used to determine 95 % confidence intervals (CI).ResultsOf 298 study participants, 237 (79.5 %) were female, of which 49 (20.7 %) were pregnant. For the HIV test component, the sensitivity and specificity were 99.2 % (95 % CI: 95.8 %, 100 %) and 97.0 % (95 % CI: 93.2 %, 99.0 %), respectively; and for the syphilis component were 96.5 % (95 % CI: 91.2 %, 99.0 %) and 90.8 % (95 % CI: 85.7 %, 94.6 %), respectively. In pregnant women, the sensitivity and specificity of the HIV test component were 93.3 % (95 % CI: 68.0 %, 99.8 %) and 94.1 % (95 % CI: 80.3 %, 99.3 %), respectively; and for the syphilis component were 100 % (95 % CI:81.5 %, 100 %) and 96.8 % (95 % CI:83.3 %, 99.9 %), respectively.ConclusionThe Standard Diagnostics BIOLINE HIV/Syphilis Duo dual test performed well in a field setting in Haiti and should be considered for wider use.

Background In 2018 the World Health Organization recommended a switch to an all oral bedaquiline-based second-line regimen for treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). How these new second-line regimens fare in comparison to first-line regimens for treatment of drug-sensitive tuberculosis (DS-TB) is not well known. Methods In this study, we contemporaneously enrolled subjects with DS-TB (n = 31) or DR-TB (n = 23) and assessed their response to therapy with first-line (rifampin, isoniazid, ethambutol, pyrazinamide) or second-line (bedaquiline, pyrazinamide, levofloxacin, linezolid, clofazimine) regimens, respectively. Results We found that the early bactericidal activity of first- and second-line regimens was similar during the first 2 weeks of therapy as determined by BACTEC MGIT, colony-forming units, and a liquid limiting dilution assay capable of detecting differentially detectable/culturable Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Furthermore, an identical percentage (77.8%) of subjects from the DS-TB and DR-TB cohorts converted to culture negative after 2 months of therapy. Conclusions Despite presenting with more advanced disease at time of treatment, subjects with DR-TB receiving an all oral bedaquiline-based second-line treatment regimen displayed a similar microbiological response to therapy as subjects with DS-TB receiving a first-line treatment regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The World Health Organization recommends initiating same-day antiretroviral therapy (ART) while tuberculosis (TB) testing is under way for patients with non-meningitic symptoms at HIV diagnosis, though safety data are limited. C-reactive protein (CRP) testing may improve TB risk stratification in this population. Methods In this baseline analysis of 498 adults (>18 years) with TB symptoms at HIV diagnosis who were enrolled in a trial of rapid ART initiation in Haiti, we describe test characteristics of varying CRP thresholds in the diagnosis of TB. We also assessed predictors of high CRP as a continuous variable using generalized linear models. Results Eighty-seven (17.5%) participants were diagnosed with baseline TB. The median CRP was 33.0 mg/L (interquartile range: 5.1, 85.5) in those with TB, and 2.6 mg/L (interquartile range: 0.8, 11.7) in those without TB. As the CRP threshold increased from ≥1 mg/L to ≥10 mg/L, the positive predictive value for TB increased from 22.4% to 35.4% and negative predictive value decreased from 96.9% to 92.3%. With CRP thresholds varying from <1 to <10 mg/L, a range from 25.5% to 64.9% of the cohort would have been eligible for same-day ART and 0.8% to 5.0% would have untreated TB at ART initiation. Conclusions CRP concentrations can be used to improve TB risk stratification, facilitating same-day decisions about ART initiation. Depending on the CRP threshold, one-quarter to two-thirds of patients could be eligible for same-day ART, with a reduction of 3- to 20-fold in the proportion with untreated TB, compared with a strategy of same-day ART while awaiting TB test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem In 2010, Haiti sustained a devastating earthquake that crippled the health-care infrastructure in the capital city, Port-au-Prince, and left 1.5 million people homeless. Subsequently, there was an Increase in reported tuberculosis in the affected population. Approach We conducted active tuberculosis case finding in a camp for internally displaced persons and a nearby slum. Community health workers screened for tuberculosis at the household level. People with persistent cough were referred to a physician. The National Tuberculosis Program continued its national tuberculosis reporting system. Local setting Even before the earthquake, Haiti had the highest tuberculosis incidence in the Americas. About half of the tuberculosis cases occur in the Port-au-Prince region. Relevant changes The number of reported tuberculosis cases in Haiti has increased after the earthquake, but data are too limited to determine if this is due to an increase in tuberculosis burden or to improved case detection. Compared to previous national estimates (230 per 100000 population), undiagnosed tuberculosis was threefold higher in a camp for internally displaced persons (693 per 100000) and fivefold higher in an urban slum (1165 per 100000). With funding from the World Health Organization (WHO), active case finding is now being done systematically in slums and camps. Lessons learnt Household-level screening for prolonged cough was effective in identifying patients with active tuberculosis in this study. Without accurate data, early detection of rising tuberculosis rates is challenging; data collection should be incorporated into pragmatic disease response programmes. Probleme En 2010, Haiti a ete frappe par un seisme devastateur qui a ebranle les infrastructures sanitaires de la capitale, Port-au-Prince, et laisse 1,5 millions de personnes sans abri. On a par la suite observe une augmentation des cas de tuberculose recenses dans la population concernee. Approche Nous avons mene une recherche active des cas de tuberculose dans un camp de personnes deplacees ainsi que dans un bidonville voisin. Les agents de sante communautaires ont recherche les cas de tuberculose dans les foyers. Les personnes qui presentaient une toux persistante ont ete orientees vers un medecin. Le systeme national de signalement des cas de tuberculose a ete maintenu, dans le cadre du programme national de lutte contre la tuberculose. Environnement local Deja avant le seisme, Haiti presentait la plus forte incidence de tuberculose d'Amerlque. Pres de la moitie des cas de tuberculose sont recenses dans la region de Port-au-Prince. Changements significatifs Le nombre de cas de tuberculose signales en Haiti a augmente depuis le seisme, mais les donnees limitees ne permettent pas de determiner si cela est du a une augmentation de la charge de la maladie ou a une amelioration du depistage. Compares aux precedentes estimations nationales (230 cas pour 100 000 personnes), les cas de tuberculose non diagnostiques etalent trois fois plus importants dans le camp de personnes deplacees (693 cas pour 100 000 personnes) et cinq fois plus dans le bidonville (1165 cas pour 100 000 personnes). Grace a un financement de reorganisation mondiale de la Sante, un depistage actifest desormais effectue systematiquement dans les camps et les bidonvilles. Lecons tirees Dans cette etude, la recherche d'une toux prolongee dans les foyers a permis d'identifier les patients atteints de tuberculose active. Sans donnees predses, il est difficile de detecter precocement une augmentation du taux de tuberculose; un travail de collecte de donnees devrait etre integre aux programmes pratiques de reponse aux maladies. Problema En 2010, Haiti sufrio un devastadorterremoto que movilizo a toda la infraestructura sanitaria para socorrer a la capital, Puerto Principe, y dejo a 1,5 millones de personas sin hogar. Ademas, se produjo un aumento de los casos de tuberculosis notificados entre la poblacion afectada. Enfoque Se llevaron a cabo detecciones de casos activos de tuberculosis en un campamento para personas desplazadas de la ciudad y en un barrio pobre cercano. Los agentes de salud comunitarios investigaron los casos de tuberculosis a nivel domestico. Las personas con tos persistente fueron derivadas a un medico. El programa nacional contra la tuberculosis continuo su sistema nacional de informes sobre la tuberculosis. Contexto local Incluso antes del terremoto, Haiti tenia el mayor numero de casos de tuberculosis de todo el continente americano. Alrededor de la mitad de los casos de tuberculosis se encontraba en la region de Puerto Principe. Cambios pertinentes El numero de casos registrados de tuberculosis en Haiti aumento tras el terremoto, aunque no existen los suficientes datos para determinar si este suceso se debe a un aumento de la carga de tuberculosis o a un mejor sistema de deteccion de casos. En comparacion con los calculos nacionales (230 de cada 100.000 personas), la tuberculosis sin diagnosticar era el triple en un campamento para personas desplazadas de la dudad (693 de cada 100.000 personas) y cinco veces mayor en el barrio pobre urbano (1.165 de cada 100.000 personas). Con fondos de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud, actualmente se realiza una busqueda de casos activos de forma sistematica en barrios pobres y campamentos. Leccion aprendida La busqueda a nivel domestico de tos persistente resulto eficaz a la hora de identificar a pacientes con tuberculosis activa en este estudio. Sin datos precisos, la deteccion temprana de mayores tasas de tuberculosis supone todo un reto. Los datos recogidos se incorporaran a programas de respuesta pragmatica contra enfermedades., Introduction On January 12, 2010, Haiti sustained a devastating earthquake. Total damages are estimated at 7.8 billion United States dollars, more than 120% of the country's 2009 gross domestic product. [...]

A randomized clinical trial in Haiti was conducted determine if early initiation of antiretroviral therapy, as compared with the standard timing for the initiation of therapy improves survival. Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy was observed to decrease the rates of death and incident tuberculosis hence access to antiretroviral therapy should be expanded to include all HIV-infected adults who have CD4+ T-cell counts of less than 350 per cubic millimeter, including those who live in areas with limited resources.