No abstract

In the first study in the UK to report prospectively on BBV prevalence in the ED, we identified a high number of new viral hepatitis diagnoses, especially hepatitis C, in addition to the HIV diagnoses. Testing for HIV alone would have missed 54 viral hepatitis diagnoses (26 new), supporting further evaluation of routine BBV testing in UK EDs.

A cross-sectional study of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive patients who attended the HIV clinic in Brighton over a 4-month period was carried out to describe the prevalence and severity of skin manifestations in HIV-positive patients and to elucidate their association with the peripheral CD4 cell count and with the HIV disease stage. The subjects were consecutively examined by an experienced dermatologist. Skin manifestations were classified into infections, dermatoses, pruritus and neoplasm. A severity index was derived by scoring each condition as either absent, mild, moderate or severe. One hundred and fifty-one patients were enrolled with a mean age of 38.3 years. One hundred and thirty-nine were homo/bisexual men; 58 were asymptomatic and 35 had acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); 37 had CD4 counts below 200. Skin conditions were present in 138 of the 151 subjects (91.4%). The total number of events was 331. The most frequent problem was infection followed by dermatoses, pruritus and malignancy. The most frequent condition was seborrhoeic eczema followed by tinea and xerosis. We have demonstrated a statistically significant association between CD4 count, disease stage and skin manifestations in HIV-positive individuals.

This article on false positive serological reactions for syphilis reviews the rapid developments which have taken place in the serodiagnosis of syphilis in recent years since the advent of the AIDS epidemic. An overview of non-specific and specific treponemal serological tests in relation to acute and chronic biological false positive reactions is followed by closer consideration of syphilis serology in the context of HIV infection, pregnancy and other conditions which may produce false positive reactions.