Evaluation of the Vitros Syphilis TPA chemiluminescence immunoassay as a first-line method for reverse syphilis screening.

We report here the results of the diagnostic performances of Vitros Syphilis TPA (a chemiluminescence treponemal assay) compared with those of two treponemal enzyme immunoassays and of traditional versus reverse syphilis algorithms. Ease of use, automation, and high throughput make the Vitros Syphilis TPA assay a good choice for syphilis screening in high-volume laboratories.

Prospective seroepidemiologic study on the role of Human Papillomavirus and other infections in cervical carcinogenesis: evidence from the EPIC cohort.

To evaluate prospectively the association between serological markers of selected infections, including HPV, and risk of developing cervical cancer (CC) and precancer, we performed a nested case-control study within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study that included 184 cases of invasive CC (ICC), 425 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3 or carcinoma in situ (CIS), and 1,218 matched control women. At enrollment participants completed lifestyle questionnaires and provided sera. Subjects were followed-up for a median of 9 years. Immunoassays were used to detect serum antibodies to Human Herpes Virus 2 (HHV-2), Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Chlamydia pneumoniae, L1 proteins of mucosal and cutaneous HPV types, E6/E7 proteins of HPV16/18, as well as to four polyomaviruses. Adjusted odds ratios (OR) [and 95% confidence intervals (CI)] for CIN3/CIS and ICC risk were respectively: 1.6 (1.2-2.0) and 1.8 (1.1-2.7) for L1 seropositivity to any mucosal HPV type, 1.0 (0.4-2.4) and 7.4 (2.8-19.7) for E6 seropositivity to HPV16/18, 1.3 (0.9-1.9) and 2.3 (1.3-4.1) for CT seropositivity, and 1.4 (1.0-2.0) and 1.5 (0.9-2.6) for HHV-2 seropositivity. The highest OR for ICC was observed for HPV16 E6 seropositivity [OR = 10.2 (3.3-31.1)]. Increasing number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was associated with increasing risk. Non-STIs were not associated with CC risk. In conclusion, this large prospective study confirms the important role of HPV and a possible contribution of CT and HHV-2 in cervical carcinogenesis. It further identifies HPV16 E6 seropositivity as the strongest marker to predict ICC well before disease development.

Smoking as a major risk factor for cervical cancer and pre-cancer: results from the EPIC cohort.

A total of 308,036 women were selected from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study to evaluate the association between tobacco smoking and the risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia of grade 3 (CIN3)/carcinoma in situ (CIS) and invasive cervical cancer (ICC). At baseline, participants completed a questionnaire and provided blood samples. During a mean follow-up time of 9 years, 261 ICC cases and 804 CIN3/CIS cases were reported. In a nested case-control study, the baseline sera from 609 cases and 1,218 matched controls were tested for L1 antibodies against HPV types 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45, 52, 58, and antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), and Human Herpes Virus 2 (HHV-2). Cervical samples were not available for HPV-DNA analysis in this study. Multivariate analyses were used to estimate associations between smoking and risk of CIN3/CIS and ICC in the cohort and the case-control studies. In the cohort analyses smoking status, duration and intensity showed a two-fold increased risk of CIN3/CIS and ICC, while time since quitting was associated with a two-fold reduced risk. In the nested case-control study, consistent associations were observed after adjustment for HPV, CT and HHV-2 serostatus, in both HPV seronegative and seropositive women. Results from this large prospective study confirm the role of tobacco smoking as an important risk factor for both CIN3/CIS and ICC, even after taking into account HPV exposure as determined by HPV serology. The strong beneficial effect of quitting smoking is an important finding that will further support public health policies for smoking cessation.

Combining cell lines to optimize isolation of human enterovirus from clinical specimens: report of 25 years of experience.

Cell culture is still the gold standard for the diagnosis of human enteroviruses (HEVs) although molecular techniques are required for detection of some serotypes. Due to the diversity of HEVs, a single cell line is not susceptible to all serotypes, and several lines are required to optimize the isolation of HEVs. In this study, the results of HEV isolation during the last 25 years are reported. A total of 1,192 HEVs were isolated and isolation rates varied depending on the cell line used. MRC5 cells yielded the best results (70.7%), followed by A549 cells (52.6%), RD cells (37.5%), and HEp-2 cells (29.7%). A total of 521 HEVs were characterized, and HEV-B was the most frequent species (81%). Polioviruses (PV) and HEV-A were isolated less frequently (17% and 1%, respectively). None of the cell lines detected all the enteroviruses. MRC5 cells were the most susceptible for isolation of echoviruses (85.7%) and PVs (85.4%), whereas HEp2 was the most susceptible for Coxsackieviruses B (82.6%). Some serotypes were isolated in one cell line only. 40.5% of echoviruses were isolated in MRC5 cells whereas 42.3% and 23.9% of Coxsackieviruses B were isolated in RD cells and HEp2 cells, respectively. Although A549 cells did not achieve the best performance for any enterovirus serotypes, they isolated 52.6% of the total HEVs. In view of these results, MRC5 cells, A549 cells, and RD cells should be combined to optimize isolation of HEVs.

Identification of recent HIV-1 infection among newly diagnosed cases in Catalonia, Spain (2006-08).

BACKGROUND: Quantification and description of patients recently infected by HIV can provide an accurate estimate of the dynamics of HIV transmission. Between 2006 and 2008 in Catalonia, we estimated the prevalence of recent HIV infection among newly diagnosed cases, described the epidemiological characteristics of the infection according to whether it was recent, long-standing or advanced, and identified factors associated with recent infection. METHODS: A Test for Recent Infection (TRI) was performed in serum samples from patients newly diagnosed with HIV. Two different TRI were used: the Vironostika-LS assay (January 2006-May 2007) and the BED-CEIA CEIA (June 2007 onwards). Samples were obtained within the first 6 months of diagnosis. Patients whose samples tested positive in the TRI were considered recently infected. RESULTS: Of 1125 newly diagnosed patients, 79.9% were men (median age, 35.4 years), 38.7% were born outside Spain, 48.9% were men who have sex with men (MSM) and 10.6% presented other sexually transmitted infections. The overall percentage of recent infection was 23.0%, which increased significantly, from 18.1% in 2006 to 26.2% in 2008. This percentage was higher for patients from South America (27.6%). Factors associated with recent infection were acquiring infection through sexual contact between MSM [odds ratio (OR) 2.0; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1-3.9], compared with acquiring infection through heterosexual relations and being under 30 years of age (OR 5.9; 95% CI 1.9-17.4), compared with being over 50 years of age. CONCLUSION: The highest percentage of recent infection was identified in MSM, suggesting either a higher incidence or a greater frequency of HIV testing. Information regarding testing patterns is necessary to correctly interpret data from recently infected individuals. Systems to monitor the HIV epidemic should include both parameters.

Prevalence of transmitted antiretroviral resistance and distribution of HIV-1 subtypes among patients with recent infection in Catalonia (Spain) between 2003 and 2005.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistances (TDR) and HIV-1 subtypes in recently infected patients in Catalonia between 2003 and 2005 and to describe the characteristics of these patients according to the presence or absence of TDR and HIV-1 subtype. METHODS: After application of the Serological Testing Algorithm for Recent HIV Seroconversion (STARHS), residual aliquots of serum samples from recently infected antiretroviral-naïve individuals were genotyped. FASTA sequences were analyzed using the HIVDB Program. The World Health Organization 2009 List of Mutations for Surveillance of Transmitted HIV-1 Drug Resistant HIV Strains was used to estimate the prevalence of TDR. RESULTS: Of 182 recently infected patients, 14 (7.7%) presented TDR. Seven (3.8%) had genotypic evidence of TDR against non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, 6 (3.3%) against nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, 3 (1.6%) against protease inhibitors (PIs), and only 2 individuals (1.1%) presented TDR against more than one class of drugs. Thirty-five (19.2%) patients were infected with a non-B HIV-1 subtype. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of TDR in recently infected patients in Catalonia. The results are similar to those of studies performed in other Spanish regions. Correct monitoring of these parameters requires systematic epidemiologic surveillance of transmitted resistance.

Deep-sequencing reveals broad subtype-specific HCV resistance mutations associated with treatment failure.

A percentage of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients fail direct acting antiviral (DAA)-based treatment regimens, often because of drug resistance-associated substitutions (RAS). The aim of this study was to characterize the resistance profile of a large cohort of patients failing DAA-based treatments, and investigate the relationship between HCV subtype and failure, as an aid to optimizing management of these patients. A new, standardized HCV-RAS testing protocol based on deep sequencing was designed and applied to 220 previously subtyped samples from patients failing DAA treatment, collected in 39 Spanish hospitals. The majority had received DAA-based interferon (IFN) α-free regimens; 79% had failed sofosbuvir-containing therapy. Genomic regions encoding the nonstructural protein (NS) 3, NS5A, and NS5B (DAA target regions) were analyzed using subtype-specific primers. Viral subtype distribution was as follows: genotype (G) 1, 62.7%; G3a, 21.4%; G4d, 12.3%; G2, 1.8%; and mixed infections 1.8%. Overall, 88.6% of patients carried at least 1 RAS, and 19% carried RAS at frequencies below 20% in the mutant spectrum. There were no differences in RAS selection between treatments with and without ribavirin. Regardless of the treatment received, each HCV subtype showed specific types of RAS. Of note, no RAS were detected in the target proteins of 18.6% of patients failing treatment, and 30.4% of patients had RAS in proteins that were not targets of the inhibitors they received. HCV patients failing DAA therapy showed a high diversity of RAS. Ribavirin use did not influence the type or number of RAS at failure. The subtype-specific pattern of RAS emergence underscores the importance of accurate HCV subtyping. The frequency of "extra-target" RAS suggests the need for RAS screening in all three DAA target regions.

The Influence of Hormonal Factors on the Risk of Developing Cervical Cancer and Pre-Cancer: Results from the EPIC Cohort.

BACKGROUND: In addition to HPV, high parity and hormonal contraceptives have been associated with cervical cancer (CC). However, most of the evidence comes from retrospective case-control studies. The aim of this study is to prospectively evaluate associations between hormonal factors and risk of developing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 (CIN3)/carcinoma in situ (CIS) and invasive cervical cancer (ICC). METHODS AND FINDINGS: We followed a cohort of 308,036 women recruited in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) Study. At enrollment, participants completed a questionnaire and provided serum. After a 9-year median follow-up, 261 ICC and 804 CIN3/CIS cases were reported. In a nested case-control study, the sera from 609 cases and 1,218 matched controls were tested for L1 antibodies against HPV types 11,16,18,31,33,35,45,52,58, and antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis and Human herpesvirus 2. Multivariate analyses were performed to estimate hazard ratios (HR), odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). The cohort analysis showed that number of full-term pregnancies was positively associated with CIN3/CIS risk (p-trend = 0.03). Duration of oral contraceptives use was associated with a significantly increased risk of both CIN3/CIS and ICC (HR = 1.6 and HR = 1.8 respectively for ≥ 15 years versus never use). Ever use of menopausal hormone therapy was associated with a reduced risk of ICC (HR = 0.5, 95%CI: 0.4-0.8). A non-significant reduced risk of ICC with ever use of intrauterine devices (IUD) was found in the nested case-control analysis (OR = 0.6). Analyses restricted to all cases and HPV seropositive controls yielded similar results, revealing a significant inverse association with IUD for combined CIN3/CIS and ICC (OR = 0.7). CONCLUSIONS: Even though HPV is the necessary cause of CC, our results suggest that several hormonal factors are risk factors for cervical carcinogenesis. Adherence to current cervical cancer screening guidelines should minimize the increased risk of CC associated with these hormonal risk factors.

Early detection of Toxoplasma infection by molecular monitoring of Toxoplasma gondii in peripheral blood samples after allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Isolated case reports have shown that recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs) who develop toxoplasmosis may have circulating Toxoplasma gondii DNA in peripheral blood before the onset of clinical symptoms. METHODS: We prospectively studied 106 T. gondii-seropositive adult recipients of HSCTs for the incidence of reactivation of toxoplasmosis in the first 6 months after transplantation. Toxoplasmosis infection (TI) was defined by a positive result of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of peripheral blood specimens, whereas toxoplasmosis disease (TD) was defined as an invasive infection. RESULTS: The incidence of TI was 16% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8%-21%), whereas the incidence of TD was 6% (95% CI, 1%-10%). In the 16 patients with TI, the incidence of disease was 38%, whereas it was 0% in patients without TI (P<.0001). In most patients, the onset of TD or treatment for TI was preceded by an increase in the parasite load in peripheral blood samples, as determined by quantitative PCR. CONCLUSIONS: Toxoplasmosis occurs more commonly after HSCT than has previously been suggested, and routine PCR testing of peripheral blood specimens may be an appropriate tool for guiding preemptive therapy in patients at very high risk of developing invasive disease.

Prospective study of the incidence, clinical features, and outcome of symptomatic upper and lower respiratory tract infections by respiratory viruses in adult recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants for hematologic malignancies.

Respiratory viruses (RVs) are known to be major causes of morbidity and mortality in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs), but prospective long-term studies are lacking. We prospectively screened all adult HSCT recipients (172 allogeneic [alloHSCT] and 240 autologous [autoHSCT]) who underwent transplantation during a 4-year period (1999 to 2003) for the development of a first episode of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections and/or lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) by an RV. RVs studied were influenza A and B viruses (n=39), human respiratory syncytial virus (n=19), human adenoviruses (n=11), human parainfluenza viruses 1 to 3 (n=8), human enteroviruses (n=5), human rhinoviruses (n=3), and the recently discovered human metapneumoviruses (n=19). During the study, 51 and 32 cases of RV symptomatic infections were identified of alloHSCT and autoHSCT recipients (2-year incidence, 29% and 14%, respectively). Risk factors for progression of upper respiratory tract infection to LRTI included severe (<0.2x10(9)/L) and moderate (<0.2x10(9)/L) lymphocytopenia in alloHSCT (P=.02) and autoHSCT (P=.03). Death from LRTI was attributed to an RV in 8 alloHSCT recipients. Symptomatic RV had no effect on 2-year outcomes, with the possible exception of influenza A and B virus infections in autoHSCT: these were associated with nonrelapse mortality (P=.02). In conclusion, this prospective trial allows an estimation of the minimum incidence of a first RV infection in adult HSCT recipients and identifies risk factors for acquisition of an RV infection and progression to LRTI; this should aid in the design of future studies. In addition, human metapneumovirus should be added to the potentially serious causes of RV infections in HSCT.

Prevalence of Transmitted Antiretroviral Resistance and Distribution of HIV-1Subtypes Among Patients with Recent Infection in Catalonia (Spain) between2003 and 2005

Los objetivos de este estudio fueron evaluar la prevalencia de las resistencias primarias transmitidas (RPT)y de subtipos de VIH-1 en pacientes recientemente infectados en Cataluña entre 2003 y 2005, y describirlas características de estos pacientes según la presencia o ausencia de RPT y el subtipo de VIH-1.Métodos: Después de la aplicación del algoritmo de pruebas serológicas para la seroconversión reciente al VIH (STARHS), alícuotas residuales de las muestras de suero de individuos recientemente infectados no tratados previamente con antirretrovirales fueron genotipados. Las secuencias FASTA se analizaron conel programa HIV db. Se utilizó el listado de mutaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Salud del 2009para estimar la prevalencia de resistencias transmitidas. Resultados: De 182 pacientes recientemente infectados, 14 (7,7%) presentaron RPT. Siete personas (3,8%)presentaban evidencias genotípica de RPT a los inhibidores de la transcriptasa inversa no análogos anucleósidos, 6 (3,3%) frente a inhibidores de la transcriptasa inversa análogos de nucleósidos, 3 (1,6%)frente a los inhibidores de la proteasa, y solo 2 personas (1,1%) presentaron RPT a más de una familia de medicamentos. Treinta y cinco (19,2%) pacientes estaban infectados con un subtipo no-B del VIH-1.Conclusión: Este es el primer estudio que estima la prevalencia de RPT en pacientes recientemente infectadosen Cataluña, y los resultados son similares a los de estudios realizados en otras regiones españolas. Para el adecuado seguimiento de estos parámetros es necesaria la vigilancia epidemiológica sistemática de las RPT (AU)

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of transmitted HIV-1 drug resistances(TDR) and HIV-1 subtypes in recently infected patients in Catalonia between 2003 and 2005 and to describe the characteristics of these patients according to the presence or absence of TDR and HIV-1subtype.Methods: After application of the Serological Testing Algorithm for Recent HIV Seroconversion (STARHS),residual aliquots of serum samples from recently infected antiretroviral-naïve individuals were genotyped. FASTA sequences were analyzed using the HIVDB Program. The World Health Organization 2009List of Mutations for Surveillance of Transmitted HIV-1 Drug Resistant HIV Strains was used to estimate the prevalence of TDR. Results: Of 182 recently infected patients, 14 (7.7%) presented TDR. Seven (3.8%) had genotypic evidence of TDR against non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, 6 (3.3%) against nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, 3 (1.6%) against protease inhibitors (PIs), and only 2 individuals (1.1%) presented TDR against more than one class of drugs. Thirty-five (19.2%) patients were infected with a non-B HIV-1subtype.Conclusion: This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of TDR in recently infected patients in Catalonia. The results are similar to those of studies performed in other Spanish regions. Correct monitoring of these parameters requires systematic epidemiologic surveillance of transmitted resistance (AU)