while Salmonella Typhi and S. pneumoniae were the most common causes of invasive infection overall, M. tuberculosis and C. neoformans were the leading causes of bloodstream infection among HIV-infected inpatients in Tanzania in the ART era. We demonstrate a protective effect of HIV against Salmonella. Typhi bloodstream infection in this setting. HIV co-infections continue to account for a large proportion of febrile admissions in Tanzania.
Summary
OBJECTIVE
To describe the contribution of paediatric HIV and of HIV co-infections to admissions to a hospital in Moshi, Tanzania, using contemporary laboratory methods.
METHODS
During 1 year, we enrolled consecutively admitted patients aged ≥2 months and <13 years with current or recent fever. All patients underwent standardized clinical history taking, a physical examination and HIV antibody testing; standard aerobic blood cultures and malaria film were also done, and hospital outcome was recorded. Early infant HIV diagnosis by HIV-1 RNA PCR was performed on those aged <18 months. HIV-infected patients also received serum cryptococcal antigen testing and had their CD4-positive T-lymphocyte count and percent determined.
RESULTS
A total of 467 patients were enrolled whose median age was 2 years (range 2 months–13 years); Of those patients, 57.2% were female and 12.2% were HIV-infected. Admission clinical diagnosis of HIV disease was made in 10.7% and of malaria in 60.4%. Of blood cultures, 5.8% grew pathogens; of these 25.9% were Salmonella enterica (including 6 Salmonella Typhi) and 22.2% Streptococcus pneumoniae. Plasmodium falciparum was identified on blood film of 1.3%. HIV infection was associated with S. pneumoniae (odds ratio 25.7, 95% CI 2.8, 234.0) bloodstream infection (BSI), but there was no evidence of an association with Escherichia coli or P. falciparum; Salmonella Typhi BSI occurred only among HIV-uninfected participants. The sensitivity and specificity of an admission clinical diagnosis of malaria were 100% and 40.3%; and for an admission diagnosis of bloodstream infection, they were 9.1% and 86.4%, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of bloodstream infection among paediatric admissions in Tanzania and is closely associated with HIV infection. Malaria was over-diagnosed clinically, whereas invasive bacterial disease was underestimated. HIV and HIV co-infections contribute to a substantial proportion of paediatric febrile admissions, underscoring the value of routine HIV testing.
Data on weight gain and the progression to overweight/obesity in HIV-infected persons during initial combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) are limited, and comparisons to the general population are inconclusive. Weight and body mass index (BMI) changes were studied in HIV-infected adults who remained on initial cART for 12 consecutive months and in an HIV-uninfected cohort receiving care at Duke University Medical Center between 1998 and 2008. Overweight/obesity was defined as BMI ‡ 25 kg/m 2 . Variables were analyzed by Chisquare and Student's t-tests. Ninety-two HIV-infected persons (median age 38.2 years) met inclusion criteria. Weight and BMI increased during 12 months of cART (80.0 to 84.4 kg, p < 0.0001; 26.4 to 27.9 kg/m 2 , p < 0.0001; respectively). Weight gain was greater in HIV-infected females compared to males (8.6 vs. 3.6 kg, p = 0.04), in persons treated with protease inhibitor (PI)-based cART compared to non-PI-based cART (9.0 vs. 2.7 kg, p = 0.001), and in persons with a pretreatment CD4 count < 200 cells/mm 3 compared to ‡ 200 cells/mm 3 (8.9 vs. 0.3 kg, p < 0.0001). Overweight/obesity prevalence increased from 52% to 66% during 12 months of initial cART, a 27% relative increase ( p = 0.002). HIV-infected persons had a lower prevalence of pretreatment overweight/ obesity compared to 94 age-matched control subjects (52% vs. 91%, p < 0.001); however, there was no change in weight (92.7 vs. 93.0 kg, p = 0.5) or overweight/obesity prevalence (91% to 92%, p > 0.9) during 12 months in the control cohort. Management should anticipate excess weight gain during the first year of cART in persons who are female, have a pretreatment CD4 < 200 cells/mm 3 , or will initiate PI-based cART.
For prospective differentiation between uterine LMS/STUMP and benign leiomyoma, CE-MRI can provide accurate information and is preferable to DWI. Combination of DWI and ADC values can achieve a comparable diagnostic accuracy to CE-MRI.
In the era of free ART and access to tuberculosis treatment, almost one half of patients with M. tuberculosis bacteremia may die within a month of hospitalization. Simple clinical assessments can help to identify those with the condition. Advanced immunosuppression predicts death. Efforts should focus on early diagnosis and treatment of HIV infection, tuberculosis, and disseminated disease.
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