scholarly journals Aetiology, Clinical Presentation, and Outcome of Meningitis in Patients Coinfected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Tuberculosis

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Smita Bhagwan ◽  
Kogieleum Naidoo

We conducted a retrospective review of confirmed HIV-TB coinfected patients previously enrolled as part of the SAPiT study in Durban, South Africa. Patients with suspected meningitis were included in this case series. From 642 individuals, 14 episodes of meningitis in 10 patients were identified. For 8 patients, this episode of meningitis was the AIDS defining illness, with cryptococcus (9/14 episodes) and tuberculosis (3/14 episodes) as the commonest aetiological agents. The combination of headache and neck stiffness (78.6%) was the most frequent clinical presentation. Relapsing cryptococcal meningitis occurred in 3/7 patients. Mortality was 70% (7/10), with 4 deaths directly due to meningitis. In an HIV TB endemic region we identified cryptococcus followed by tuberculosis as the leading causes of meningitis. We highlight the occurrence of tuberculous meningitis in patients already receiving antituberculous therapy. The development of meningitis heralded poor outcomes, high mortality, and relapsing meningitis despite ART.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nsofwa Sukwa ◽  
Michelo Simuyandi ◽  
Masuzyo Chirwa ◽  
Yvonne Mutombo Kumwimba ◽  
Obvious N. Chilyabanyama ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite an otherwise robust national antenatal clinic program, maternal and congenital syphilis remains an important public health issue in Zambia. This case series reports the clinical presentation of seven infants diagnosed with congenital syphilis in Lusaka, Zambia. Case presentations The cases in this series were incidental findings from a cohort of infants enrolled in a rotavirus vaccine immunogenicity study recruiting infants at 6 weeks of age. As part of clinical care for enrolled participants, we screened mothers of children who presented with adverse events of (i) repeated upper respiratory tract infections/coryza, (ii) skin lesions, and (iii) poor weight gain, for syphilis using rapid plasma reagin test. From a cohort of 214 mother–infant pairs enrolled between September and December 2018, a total of 115 (44.4%) of the mothers reported to have not been screened during antenatal care. Of these, four (3.5%) reported to have tested positive; and only two received treatment. Seven out of 57 (26.6%) children meeting the screening criteria had a positive rapid plasma reagin test result. The mean age at diagnosis was 4.5 months (1.3 months standard deviation), and the common presenting features included coryza (6/7), skin lesions (4/7), conjunctivitis (3/7), pallor/anemia (5/7), wasting (2/7), and underweight (5/7). Three of the seven infants were exposed to human immunodeficiency virus. Following diagnosis, all seven cases received standard treatment according to national treatment guidelines. That is, 6/7 cases received inpatient care with benzylpenicillin for 10 days, while 1/7 was treated as an outpatient and received daily procaine penicillin for 10 days. Conclusion These findings suggest that, though screening for syphilis is part of the standard antenatal care in Zambia, it is not offered optimally. There is urgent need to address programmatic shortcomings in syphilis screening and treatment to avoid long-term sequelae. Additionally, clinicians need to raise their index of suspicion and rule out syphilis when confronted with these clinical symptoms, regardless of the mother’s human immunodeficiency virus status.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLIVIA HERD ◽  
FLAVIA FRANCIES ◽  
JEFFREY KOTZEN ◽  
TRUDY SMITH ◽  
ZWIDE NXUMALO ◽  
...  

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Bam ◽  
Alta Kritzinger ◽  
Brenda Louw

The high prevalence and serious sequelae of the pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS) in South Africa pose great challenges for clinicians involved in early intervention to develop appropriate interdisciplinary programmes for primary prevention of transmission of the virus as well as secondary interventions directed at the early management of the unique combination of serious health problems, neuro-developmental needs and caregiving circumstances of the infants. Opsomming Die hoë prevalensie en ernstige gevolge van die pediatriese menslike immuniteitsgebrek-virus (MIV/VIGS) in Suid-Afrika stel groot uitdagings aan klinici betrokke by vroeë intervensie om toepaslike interdissiplinêre programme te ontwikkel vir primêre voorkoming van oordrag van die virus asook sekondêre intervensies gerig op die vroeë hantering van die babas se unieke kombinasie van ernstige Gesondheids-probleme, neuro-ontwikkelingsbehoeftes en versorgingsomstandighede. *Please note: This is a reduced version of the abstract. Please refer to PDF for full text.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M Michienzi ◽  
Christopher A Schriever ◽  
Melissa E Badowski

No single-tablet antiretroviral (ARV) regimens (STRs) are approved for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis (HD). Based on known pharmacokinetic (PK) properties, abacavir (ABC)/lamivudine (3TC)/dolutegravir (DTG) STR may represent a promising option. This case series presents the safety and efficacy of ABC/3TC/DTG STR in patients with HIV and ESRD on HD. Patients were included if they were HIV-positive, maintained on intermittent HD for ESRD, switched to an ARV regimen containing ABC/3TC/DTG, and had at least one set of virologic data before and after the switch. Average age (±standard deviation) was 59 (±8) years. The majority of patients were cis-gender male and non-Hispanic Black. Only one demonstrated clinically significant resistance at baseline. All were on multiple-tablet regimens prior to the switch. Five patients (83%) achieved undetectable HIV-RNA after the switch while only four patients (46%) were undetectable immediately prior. No decline in immune function was noted. ABC/3TC/DTG STR was well tolerated. Only one patient self-reported an adverse event (nausea), which resolved without drug discontinuation. Based on these data, it appears that ABC/3TC/DTG may be a safe and effective ARV-STR option for patients with HIV and ESRD on HD. A larger trial including a PK analysis is needed to confirm these findings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 591
Author(s):  
Sneha Biradar ◽  
Balakrishna Teli

Cryptococcosis is an important opportunistic fungal infection and also cause of death due to central nervous system disease among patients with human immunodeficiency virus worldwide. Most of the cases occur in immunocompromised patients like HIV infected people, people with organ transplants and on immunosuppressants. Nowdays there is increase in cases of cryptoccal meningitis among diabetic patients. Current case series includes cryptococcal meningitis among diabetic patients after ruling out of other immunocompromised states. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. N. Abuelezam ◽  
A. W. McCormick ◽  
E. D. Surface ◽  
T. Fussell ◽  
K. A. Freedberg ◽  
...  

AbstractUNAIDS established fast-track targets of 73% and 86% viral suppression among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals by 2020 and 2030, respectively. The epidemiologic impact of achieving these goals is unknown. The HIV-Calibrated Dynamic Model, a calibrated agent-based model of HIV transmission, is used to examine scenarios of incremental improvements to the testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) continuum in South Africa in 2015. The speed of intervention availability is explored, comparing policies for their predicted effects on incidence, prevalence and achievement of fast-track targets in 2020 and 2030. Moderate (30%) improvements in the continuum will not achieve 2020 or 2030 targets and have modest impacts on incidence and prevalence. Improving the continuum by 80% and increasing availability reduces incidence from 2.54 to 0.80 per 100 person-years (−1.73, interquartile range (IQR): −1.42, −2.13) and prevalence from 26.0 to 24.6% (−1.4 percentage points, IQR: −0.88, −1.92) from 2015 to 2030 and achieves fast track targets in 2020 and 2030. Achieving 90-90-90 in South Africa is possible with large improvements to the testing and treatment continuum. The epidemiologic impact of these improvements depends on the balance between survival and transmission benefits of ART with the potential for incidence to remain high.


2019 ◽  
Vol 220 (5) ◽  
pp. 841-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J Blumenthal ◽  
Charlotte Schutz ◽  
David Barr ◽  
Michael Locketz ◽  
Vickie Marshall ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundDespite increasing numbers of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected South Africans receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of mortality. Approximately 25% of patients treated for TB have microbiologically unconfirmed diagnoses. We assessed whether elevated Kaposi’s sarcoma–associated herpesvirus (KSHV) viral load (VL) contributes to mortality in hospitalized HIV-infected patients investigated for TB.MethodsSix hundred eighty-two HIV-infected patients admitted to Khayelitsha Hospital, South Africa, were recruited, investigated for TB, and followed for 12 weeks. KSHV serostatus, peripheral blood KSHV-VL, and KSHV-associated clinical correlates were evaluated.ResultsMedian CD4 count was 62 (range, 0–526) cells/μL; KSHV seropositivity was 30.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 27%–34%); 5.8% had detectable KSHV-VL (median, 199.1 [range, 13.4–2.2 × 106] copies/106 cells); 22% died. Elevated KSHV-VL was associated with mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 6.5 [95% CI, 1.3–32.4]) in patients without TB or other microbiologically confirmed coinfections (n = 159). Six patients had “possible KSHV-inflammatory cytokine syndrome” (KICS): 5 died, representing significantly worse survival (P < .0001), and 1 patient was diagnosed with KSHV-associated multicentric Castleman disease at autopsy.ConclusionsGiven the association of mortality with elevated KSHV-VL in critically ill HIV-infected patients with suspected but not microbiologically confirmed TB, KSHV-VL and KICS criteria may guide diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation.


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