Background Active tuberculosis (TB) must be excluded before initiating isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in HIV-infected persons, but currently used screening strategies suffer from poor sensitivity and specificity and high patient attrition rates. Liquid TB culture is now recommended for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in TB suspects. This study compared the efficacy, effectiveness and speed of the microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility (MODS) assay with currently used strategies for tuberculosis screening prior to IPT in HIV-infected persons. Methods 471 HIV-infected IPT candidates at three hospitals in Lima, Peru, were enrolled into a prospective comparison of tuberculosis screening strategies, including laboratory, clinical and radiographic assessments. Results Of 435 patients who provided two sputum samples, M. tuberculosis was detected in 27 (6.2%) by MODS, 22 (5.1%) by Lowenstein-Jensen culture and 7 (1.6%) by smear. Of patients with any positive microbiological test, a MODS culture was positive in 96% by 14 days and 100% by 21 days. MODS simultaneously detected multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in two patients. Screening strategies involving combinations of clinical assessment, chest radiograph and sputum smear were less effective than two liquid TB cultures in accurately diagnosing and excluding tuberculosis (p<0.01). Screening strategies that included non-culture tests had poor sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions MODS identified, and reliably excluded, cases of pulmonary tuberculosis more accurately than other screening strategies, while providing results significantly faster than Lowenstein-Jensen culture. The streamlining of TB rule-out through the use of liquid culture-based strategies could help facilitate the massive upscaling of IPT required to reduce HIV and TB morbidity and mortality.

IntroductionAs a group, transwomen in Peru have the highest prevalence of HIV (>20%) in the country, but they have little access to HIV prevention, testing and care services. Until recently, Peru's national HIV programme did not recognize transwomen and had remained essentially static for decades. This changed in December 2014, when the Ministry of Health expressed its commitment to improve programming for transwomen and to involve transwomen organizations by prioritizing the development of a “Targeted Strategy Plan of STIs/HIV/AIDS Prevention and Comprehensive Care for Transwomen.”DiscussionA policy dialogue between key stakeholders – Peru's Ministry of Health, academic scientists, civil society, transgender leaders and international agencies – created the conditions for a change in Peru's national HIV policy for transwomen. Supported by the effective engagement of all sectors, the Ministry of Health launched a plan to provide comprehensive HIV prevention and care for transwomen. The five-year plan includes new national guidelines for HIV prevention, care and support, and country-level investments in infrastructure and equipment. In addition to new biomedical strategies, the plan also incorporates several strategies to address structural factors that contribute to the vulnerability of transwomen. We identified three key factors that created the right conditions for this change in Peru's HIV policy. These factors include (1) the availability of solid evidence, based on scientific research; (2) ongoing efforts within the transwomen community to become better advocates of their own rights; and (3) a dialogue involving honest discussions between stakeholders about possibilities of changing the nation's HIV policy.ConclusionsThe creation of Peru's national plan for HIV prevention and care for transwomen shows that long-term processes, focused on human rights for transwomen in Peru, can lead to organizational and public-policy change.

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The association of socialization patterns with unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) and HIV/STI prevalence remains underexplored in men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) in developing country settings. We evaluated the correlation of UAI, HIV, and syphilis with MSM/TW venue attendance and social network size among high-risk MSM and TW in Peru according to self-reported sexual identity. Frequency of venue attendance and MSM/TW social network size were lowest among heterosexual MSM and highest among TW respondents. Attendance (frequent or occasional) at MSM/TW venues was associated with increased odds of insertive UAI among heterosexual participants. Frequent venue attendance was associated with increased odds of receptive UAI among gay/homosexual, bisexual, and TW participants. Further investigation of the differing socialization patterns and associations with HIV/STI transmission within subgroups of Peruvian MSM and TW will enable more effective prevention interventions for these populations.