Incidence of sexually transmitted infections and association with behavioural factors: Time-to-event analysis of a large pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) cohort.

OBJECTIVES: Our objective was to obtain long-term data on the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their association with behavioural factors after widespread pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation. METHODS: This was a time-to-event analysis of a national PrEP cohort in Switzerland (SwissPrEPared study). Participants were people without HIV interested in taking PrEP with at least two STI screening visits. Primary outcomes were incidence rate of gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and syphilis. The association between behavioural factors and STI diagnosis was expressed using hazard ratios. We adjusted for testing frequency and calendar year. RESULTS: This analysis included 3907 participants enrolled between April 2019 and April 2022, yielding 3815.7 person-years of follow-up for gonorrhoea (15 134 screenings), 3802.5 for chlamydia (15 141 screenings), and 3858.6 for syphilis (15 001 screenings). The median age was 39 years (interquartile range [IQR] 32-47), 93.8% (n = 3664) identified as men who have sex with men (MSM). The incidence was 22.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.3-24.4) per 100 person-years for gonorrhoea, 26.3 (95% CI 24.7-28.0) for chlamydia, and 4.4 (95% CI 3.8-5.1) for syphilis. Yearly incidence rates decreased between 2019 (all bacterial STIs: 81.6; 95% CI 59.1-109.9) and 2022 (all bacterial STIs: 49.8; 95% CI 44.6-55.3). Participants reporting chemsex substance use were at higher risk of incident STIs, as were those reporting multiple sexual partners. Younger age was associated with a higher risk of gonorrhoea and chlamydia. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence rates of bacterial STIs decreased over time. Young MSM, those with multiple partners, and those using chemsex substances were at increased risk of STIs.

Congenital toxoplasmosis after adalimumab treatment before pregnancy.

We present a case of congenital toxoplasmosis (TXP) in a woman with Toxoplasma gondii infection more than 6 months before conception. The woman has been treated with adalimumab for ankylosing spondylitis for 4 years until 5 months before conception. TXP serology at the first trimester was compatible with infection prior pregnancy. An ultrasound performed at 26 weeks gestation (WG) showed cerebral echogenic lesions compatible with intrauterine infection. Amniocentesis was performed which confirmed TXP fetal infection. Termination of the pregnancy was performed upon parent's requests and the fetal autopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Here, we discuss the potential role of immunosuppressive treatments, such as adalimumab, in the risk of congenital toxoplasmosis and the importance of counseling before pregnancy.

Outcome of treated and untreated asymptomatic bacteriuria in renal transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: No guidelines exist concerning treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria in renal transplant recipients (RTR). Because of scarce clinical symptoms and fear of complications, such episodes are frequently treated based on subjective criteria without clear clinical benefit, with the risk of selecting resistant pathogens. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the outcome of 334 asymptomatic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) bacteriuria that occurred in 77 RTR later than 1 month post-transplantation. We distinguished: Type I, high-grade bacteriuria with pyuria; Type II, high-grade bacteriuria without pyuria; Type III, low-grade bacteriuria with pyuria and Type IV, low-grade bacteriuria without pyuria. RESULTS: None of the 334 episodes was followed by acute rejection or chronic pyelonephritis. One hundred and one (30%) episodes were treated [32 (62%) Type I, 38 (45%) Type II, 13 (36%) Type III and 18 (11%) Type IV]. Evolution to symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI) was similar between treated and untreated episodes (0/101 versus 4/233, P = 0.32). The four UTI resolved favourably without further complication upon treatment. Persistent asymptomatic bacteriuria occurred in 45 (46%) treated episodes (2 Type I, 27 Type II, 8 Type III and 9 Type IV), with selection of resistant pathogen in 35 cases (78%). Spontaneous bacterial clearance occurred in 138 (59%) untreated episodes (15 Type I, 23 Type II, 9 Type III and 91 Type IV). Negative control cultures tended to be more frequent in treated Type I (P = 0.09) and in untreated Type II episodes (P = 0.08). CONCLUSION: Restricting antibiotic treatments for asymptomatic low-grade bacteriuria and high-grade bacteriuria in the absence of pyuria, occurring later than 1 month posttransplantation, might be safe in RTR.

[HIV-AIDS 2008: the year in review]. / VIH-sida.

In the world, the prevalence of HIV is stable, the number of deaths is decreasing, as is the number of infections in children. In Switzerland, the number of new positive tests is approximatively 780 per year and increasing in the MSM population. The CDC recommends a new "opt-out" strategy for HIV testing which is still debated, as is the publication of the absence of risk of HIV transmission in patients with an undetectable viremia. This has however relaunched the concept of treatment as an aid to prevention. New drugs have been commercialised in Switzerland enabling patients with virologic failure to receive an effective treatment. Vaccine trials have failed until now, but the discovery of new viral molecules capable of antagonising cellular defence mechanisms ("cellular restrictions") could become potential new therapeutic targets.

Human herpes virus 8 replication during disseminated tuberculosis in a man with human immunodeficiency virus: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) is mainly responsible for the development of Kaposi's sarcoma and multicentric Castleman's disease in immunocompromised patients with untreated human immunodeficiency virus. Positive viral loads have been described in cases of Kaposi's sarcoma and multicentric Castleman's disease, with higher values found in the latter. We describe the case of a patient with HIV in whom a high level of HHV-8 replication was detected and who contracted an opportunistic disease other than multicentric Castleman's disease or Kaposi's sarcoma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 25-year-old man of West African origin with HIV complained of asthenia, weight loss, fever, and abdominal pain. Physical examination revealed that the patient had adenopathies and hepatosplenomegaly, but no skin or mucosal lesions were seen. Our first presumptive diagnosis was disseminated tuberculosis. However, since the cultures (sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage, blood, urine and lymph node biopsies) for mycobacteria were negative, the diagnosis was expanded to include multicentric Castleman's disease which was supported by high HHV-8 viral loads in the patient's blood: 196,000 copies/ml in whole blood, 39,400 copies/ml in plasma and 260 copies/10E5 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. However, the histology and positive polymerase chain reaction assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex of a second lymph node biopsy enabled us to conclude that the patient had disseminated tuberculosis and we started the patient on antituberculosis treatment. We analyzed the HHV-8 deoxyribonucleic acid in two other plasma samples (one from six months earlier and the other was 10 days after the positive test) and both yielded negative results. A search for latent and lytic HHV-8 antibodies confirmed that the patient was seropositive for HHV-8 before this episode. CONCLUSION: We describe the case of a patient with HIV who tested positive for asymptomatic HHV-8 replication during an opportunistic disease suggestive of multicentric Castleman's disease. The initial analysis was nullified by the diagnosis of a disease that was unrelated to HHV-8. This case report underlines the need to clarify the full clinical meaning and implication of a positive HHV-8 viral load in patients with AIDS. The diagnosis of multicentric Castleman's disease needs to be studied further to determine its sensitivity and specificity. Finally, when faced with the dilemma of urgently starting chemotherapy on a patient whose condition is deteriorating and whose clinical presentation suggests multicentric Castleman's disease, high HHV-8 viral loads should be interpreted with caution and histological analysis of lymph nodes or liver biopsies should be obtained first.

Predicting the evolution of Kaposi sarcoma, in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era.

BACKGROUND: The outcome of Kaposi sarcoma varies. While many patients do well on highly active antiretroviral therapy, others have progressive disease and need chemotherapy. In order to predict which patients are at risk of unfavorable evolution, we established a prognostic score. METHOD: The survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier method; Cox proportional hazards models) of 144 patients with Kaposi sarcoma prospectively included in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, from January 1996 to December 2004, was conducted. OUTCOME ANALYZED: use of chemotherapy or death. VARIABLES ANALYZED: demographics, tumor staging [T0 or T1 (16)], CD4 cell counts and HIV-1 RNA concentration, human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) DNA in plasma and serological titers to latent and lytic antigens. RESULTS: Of 144 patients, 54 needed chemotherapy or died. In the univariate analysis, tumor stage T1, CD4 cell count below 200 cells/microl, positive HHV8 DNA and absence of antibodies against the HHV8 lytic antigen at the time of diagnosis were significantly associated with a bad outcome. Using multivariate analysis, the following variables were associated with an increased risk of unfavorable outcome: T1 [hazard ratio (HR) 5.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.97-9.18], CD4 cell count below 200 cells/microl (HR 2.33; 95% CI 1.22-4.45) and positive HHV8 DNA (HR 2.14; 95% CI 1.79-2.85). We created a score with these variables ranging from 0 to 4: T1 stage counted for two points, CD4 cell count below 200 cells/microl for one point, and positive HHV8 viral load for one point. Each point increase was associated with a HR of 2.26 (95% CI 1.79-2.85). CONCLUSION: In the multivariate analysis, staging (T1), CD4 cell count (<200 cells/microl), positive HHV8 DNA in plasma, at the time of diagnosis, predict evolution towards death or the need of chemotherapy.