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.

Objectives: To evaluate safety and immunogenicity of V114 [15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) containing serotypes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7F, 9V, 14, 18C, 19A, 19F, 22F, 23F, and 33F], followed by 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) 8 weeks later, in adults living with HIV. Design: In this phase 3 study (V114-018; NCT03480802), pneumococcal vaccine-naive adults with HIV (CD4 + cell count ≥50 cells/μl, plasma HIV RNA <50 000 copies/ml, receiving antiretroviral therapy) were randomized 1 : 1 to receive one dose of V114 or licensed 13-valent PCV (PCV13) on day 1; participants received PPSV23 at week 8. Methods: Adverse events and serotype-specific opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies were evaluated after each vaccination. Results: Of 302 participants enrolled, 292 (96.7%) completed the study. Proportions of participants experiencing at least one adverse event were 73.0 and 62.7% in the V114 and PCV13 groups following PCV and 60.7 and 71.6% following PPSV23. Most solicited adverse events were of mild or moderate severity and short duration. OPA geometric mean titers (GMTs) and IgG geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) were generally comparable between groups for shared serotypes at day 30 and maintained at week 12. OPA and IgG responses for additional serotypes in V114 (22F, 33F) were higher following V114 than PCV13 at day 30 but comparable at week 12, 30 days post-PPSV23. Conclusion: In pneumococcal vaccine-naive adults living with HIV, V114 was well tolerated and induced immune responses for all 15 pneumococcal serotypes. V114 can be followed by PPSV23 8 weeks later to broaden serotype coverage.

Through week 48, fostemsavir continued to be well tolerated and showed similar efficacy to ATV/r. These results support the ongoing Phase III trial in heavily treatment-experienced adults with limited therapeutic options (≤2 classes of active antiretrovirals remaining). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01384734.

Background:There is scarcity of data about the prevalence of non-AIDS defining comorbidities among stable HIV-infected patients in Peru.Objective:We aimed to describe the most frequent cardiometabolic comorbidities found among ambulatory adults on ARV in Peru.Methods:A review of records for patients attending regular visits at 5 clinics in Lima-Callao in January-February 2016 is presented. Patients were adults on ARV for >6 months, with no recent AIDS-defining condition.Results:Three hundred and five medical charts were reviewed. Most patients were male (73.1%, n=223) with a mean age of 46.0 years. Mean time from HIV diagnosis was 9.41 yrs. and mean duration of ARV was 7.78 yrs. Most patients were on an NNRTI-based first line regimen (76.4%, n=233), and 12.1% (n=37) were on rescue regimens. Median CD4 count was 614.2 cells/µL and the proportion of patients with viral load <40 c/mL was 90.8% (n=277). Most frequent metabolic diagnoses were dyslipidemia (51.5%, n=157), obesity (11.1%, n=34), and diabetes mellitus (7.2%, n=22). Hypertension was diagnosed in 8.9% (n=27). Other diagnoses of cardiovascular disease were documented in 3.3% (n=10). Pharmacologic treatment was prescribed in 91.3% of patients with diabetes or hypertension, but in only 29.3% of patients with dyslipidemia.Conclusion:A high proportion of metabolic comorbidities was found, with dyslipidemia being the most frequent, followed by obesity and diabetes. In contrast, cardiovascular disease was documented less frequently. Medical treatment was started for only a third of dyslipidemia patients. HIV care policies need to consider proper management of chronic comorbidities to optimize long-term outcomes.

Summary Osteoporosis and fracture risk among women with HIV in Latin America is understudied. In a sample of Peruvian women with and without HIV, women with HIV had lower femoral neck and total hip BMD and a higher proportion of vertebral fractures. Important treatment gaps were identified across both groups. Purpose Studies have shown that patients with HIV are at increased risk for bone loss and fracture due to a combination of host, viral, and antiretroviral therapy (ART)-related factors. We aimed to explore the prevalence of vertebral fracture (VF) and low bone mineral density (BMD) among women aging with HIV in Peru and identify risk factors for osteoporosis and fracture in this population. Methods We enrolled women living with and without HIV aged ≥40 years between 2019 and 2020. Participants completed a survey and obtained dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) test to assess BMD at the lumbar spine (LS), femoral neck (FN), and total hip (TH). A subset of patients also obtained lateral thoracolumbar X-rays. Presence of VF was determined using the Genant semiquantitative method. Regression analyses were used to model associations between key risk factors and BMD. Results 104 women living with HIV and 212 women living without HIV were enrolled with a mean age of 52.4±8.2 and 56.4±8.8 years ( p < 0.001). Among postmenopausal women (257/316, 81.3%), 26.3% of women living with HIV and 25.9% of those without HIV had osteoporosis. Among the 88 women living with HIV and 178 women living without HIV who obtained thoracolumbar X-rays, 12.5% and 6.2%, respectively, had at least one VF. Based on DXA and the FRAX score, 22/104 women living with HIV met criteria for osteoporosis treatment according to national guidelines; however, none were on treatment. Propensity score matching revealed that women living with HIV had 0.032 g/cm 2 lower FN BMD ( p = 0.012) and 0.034 g/cm 2 lower TH BMD ( p = 0.041) compared to women without HIV. Conclusion In this study, women living with HIV on long-standing ART had increased VF prevalence compared to the slightly older group of women without HIV. Age and BMI were independent predictors for BMD at the lumbar spine, hip, and femoral neck among women living with HIV, and there was a treatment gap among women who met criteria for osteoporosis treatment. Larger studies are needed in this region to identify individuals at risk for fracture and to inform prevention guidelines.