Screening for precancerous anal lesions linked to human papillomaviruses: French recommendations for clinical practice.

In France, about 2000 new cases of anal cancer are diagnosed annually. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histological type, mostly occurring secondary to persistent HPV16 infection. Invasive cancer is preceded by precancerous lesions. In addition to patients with a personal history of precancerous lesions and anal cancer, three groups are at very high risk of anal cancer: (i) men who have sex with men and are living with HIV, (ii) women with a history of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) or vulvar HPV cancer, and (iii) women who received a solid organ transplant more than 10 years ago. The purpose of screening is to detect HSILs so that they can be treated, thereby reducing the risk of progression to cancer. All patients with symptoms should undergo a proctological examination including standard anoscopy. For asymptomatic patients at risk, an initial HPV16 test makes it possible to target patients at risk of HSILs likely to progress to cancer. Anal cytology is a sensitive test for HSIL detection. Its sensitivity is greater than 80% and exceeds that of proctological examination with standard anoscopy. It is indicated in the event of a positive HPV16 test. In the presence of cytological abnormalities and/or lesions and a suspicion of dysplasia on clinical examination, high-resolution anoscopy is indicated. Performance is superior to that of proctological examination with standard anoscopy. However, this technique is not widely available, which limits its use. If high-resolution anoscopy is not possible, screening by a standard proctological examination is an alternative. There is a need to develop high-resolution anoscopy and triage tests and to evaluate screening strategies.

Prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance in treated patients with viral load >50 copies/mL: a 2014 French nationwide study.

Background: Surveillance of HIV-1 resistance in treated patients with a detectable viral load (VL) is important to monitor, in order to assess the risk of spread of resistant viruses and to determine the proportion of patients who need new antiretroviral drugs with minimal cross-resistance. Methods: The HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase (RT) and integrase genes were sequenced in plasma samples from 782 consecutive patients on failing antiretroviral regimens, seen in 37 specialized centres in 2014. The genotyping results were interpreted using the ANRS v24 algorithm. Prevalence rates were compared with those obtained during a similar survey conducted in 2009. Results: The protease and RT sequences were obtained in 566 patients, and the integrase sequence in 382 patients. Sequencing was successful in 60%, 78%, 78% and 87% of patients with VLs of 51-200, 201-500, 501-1000 and >1000 copies/mL, respectively. Resistance to at least one antiretroviral drug was detected in 56.3% of samples. Respectively, 3.9%, 8.7%, 1.5% and 3.4% of patients harboured viruses that were resistant to any NRTI, NNRTI, PI and integrase inhibitor (INI). Resistance rates were lower in 2014 than in 2009. Resistance was detected in 48.5% of samples from patients with a VL between 51 and 200 copies/mL. Conclusion: In France in 2014, 90.0% of patients in AIDS care centres were receiving antiretroviral drugs and 12.0% of them had VLs >50 copies/mL. Therefore, this study suggests that 6.7% of treated patients in France might transmit resistant strains. Resistance testing may be warranted in all treated patients with VL > 50 copies/mL.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections among female sex workers in Togo: a national cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVES: Sub-Saharan Africa is a region with high incidence of both human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and cervical cancer. We conducted the first national study in Togo to assess prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV), HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among female sex workers (FSW). METHODS: A multicentric cross-sectional study was conducted among FSW recruited in hot spots (clubs, streets) in four Togolese cities. HPV and STIs were tested from cervical and anal swabs. HIV and syphilis were screened with rapid tests. RESULTS: In all, 310 FSW were recruited; HIV and cervical high-risk HPV (hrHPV) prevalence were 10.6% (33/310) and 32.9% (102/310), respectively. The most frequent hrHPV types were HPV58 (13.6%, 19/140), HPV35 (12.9%, 18/140), HPV31 (12.1%, 17/140) and HPV16 (10.7%, 15/140). Prevalence of hrHPV and multiple hrHPV infections showed higher rates in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative FSW (48.5% versus 31.0%, p 0.04 and 21.2% versus 9.0%, p 0.03; respectively). Prevalence of hrHPV was higher in cervical than anal swabs (34.1% versus 20.7%, p 0.0004). High-risk HPV anal infections were more frequent among HIV-positive than HIV-negative FSW (51.9% versus 17.3%, p 2 × 10-5). Concomitant anal and cervical hrHPV infections were present in 43.2% (41/95) of hrHPV-positive FSW. Overall prevalence in the cervix of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and Trichomonas vaginalis were 4.2%, 6.1%, 5.5% and 6.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This first African study on paired cervical and anal samples showed a high prevalence of genital HPV infections with a rather high rate of concomitant HPV infections but low type concordance. We report an unusual distribution of hrHPV types. These findings highlight the critical need for implementation of a national HPV vaccination strategy.

Interest of proviral HIV-1 DNA genotypic resistance testing in virologically suppressed patients candidate for maintenance therapy.

Switch of antiretroviral therapy in virologically suppressed HIV-infected patients is frequent, to prevent toxicities, for simplification or convenience reasons. Pretherapeutic genotypic resistance testing on RNA can be lacking in some patients, which could enhance the risk of virologic failure, if resistance-associated mutations of the new regimen are not taken into account. Proviral DNA resistance testing in 69 virologically suppressed patients on antiretroviral treatment with no history of virological failure were pair-wised compared with pre-ART plasma RNA resistance testing. The median time between plasma (RNA testing) and whole blood (proviral DNA testing) was 47 months (IQR 29-63). A stop codon was evidenced in 23% (16/69) of proviral DNA sequences; these strains were considered as defective, non-replicative, and not taken into consideration. Within the non defective strains, concordance rate between plasma RNA and non-defective proviral DNA was high both on protease (194/220 concordant resistance-associated mutations=88%) and reverse transcriptase (28/37 concordant resistance-associated mutations=76%) genes. This study supports that proviral DNA testing might be an informative tool before switching antiretrovirals in virologically suppressed patients with no history of virological failure, but the interpretation should be restricted to non-defective viruses.

A 1-year study of the epidemiology of hepatitis A virus in Tunisia.

This 1-year (September 2000 to August 2001) prospective study investigated the presence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in the population of Monastir, Tunisia (86 serum samples), in the influents and effluents of two wastewater treatment plants, and in shellfish harvested in the coastal areas of Monastir, Bizerte and Sfax (January 2001 to May 2001). The virus was detected by RT-PCR using primers targeted at the VP3-VP1 region. An epidemic of HAV infection was observed during the winter months, with a peak in January. The presence of the virus was relatively constant in the influents and effluents of the wastewater treatment plants, and the virus was found in shellfish from the Monastir area during the months of January and February. The genotype IA strain was recovered most frequently from human serum and wastewater samples. The observation that the peak of the epidemic was during the winter months suggests that transmission of HAV is related to climatic factors and, presumably, to shellfish consumption.

Multicenter evaluation of the NucliSens EasyQ HIV-1 v1.1 assay for the quantitative detection of HIV-1 RNA in plasma.

The Nuclisens EasyQ HIV-1 v1.1 assay (Biomerieux) is a real-time detection method combined with NASBA technology designed to measure plasma HIV-RNA. Its performance was assessed in 1008 clinical specimens collected from individuals infected with clade B (774) and non-B (234) HIV-1 variants at four European laboratories. The results were compared with those obtained using three other commercial viral load assays: Cobas Amplicor Monitor HIV-1 v1.5 (Roche), Versant HIV-1 RNA assay (Bayer) and Nuclisens HIV-1 QT (Biomerieux). Overall, the linearity, specificity and reproducibility of the EasyQ assay was comparable with that from the other tests. The correlation coefficient (R) between methodologies was 0.85 for Amplicor; 0.87 for Versant; and 0.91 for Nuclisens. The specificity of the assay was 99.4%. Of note, Versant missed 17% of specimens with non-B subtypes which could be detected by EasyQ, while Amplicor provided similar results than EasyQ. HIV-1 group O specimens were only detected by the EasyQ assay. In conclusion, the performance of the EasyQ assay seems to be similar to that of other HIV-1 viral load tests currently on the market, but it is more sensitive than Versant for HIV-1 non-B subtypes and shows a wider dynamic range than Amplicor. Moreover, as it incorporates the advantage of real-time detection procedures, it facilitates high throughput and short turnaround time.

The VIRGO study: nevirapine, didanosine and stavudine combination therapy in antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected adults.

The virological and immunological efficacy of the triple regimen containing nevirapine (once or twice daily), didanosine (once daily) and stavudine, in antiretroviral-naive patients infected with HIV-1, was evaluated in an open-label, prospective, non-randomized, multi-centre, 52-week study. The first 60 patients (VIRGO I) received nevirapine as the standard dose, 200 mg twice daily; the subsequent 40 patients (VIRGO II) received nevirapine at a dose of 400 mg once daily. All patients received 400 mg of didanosine once daily and 40 mg of stavudine twice daily, adjusted for body weight. At baseline, the median CD4 cell count and plasma viral load (pVL) were 414 cells/mm3 and 4.59 log10 copies/ml in VIRGO I, and 412 cells/mm3 and 4.87 log10 copies/ml in VIRGO II. Using an intent-to-treat, 'non-completer equals failure', analysis, 78% (95% CI, 68-88%) of patients in VIRGO I and 68% (95% CI, 53-83%) of those in VIRGO II had a pVL <500 copies/ml at 24 weeks; the proportions achieving a pVL of <50 copies/ml were 62% (95% CI, 50-74%) and 50% (95% CI, 35-65%), respectively. The week 24 median CD4 cell count increase was 168 cells/mm3 (VIRGO I) and 139 cells/mm3 (VIRGO II). At week 52, 39/45 (87%) of VIRGO I patients had pVL <500 copies/ml and 30/45 (67%) <50 copies/ml. Of the 100 patients, 44 experienced grade 2 to 4 adverse events; 20 permanently discontinued study medication because of an adverse event. Combination therapy with the three reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitors stavudine, once-daily didanosine and either once- or twice-daily nevirapine could be considered as an alternative option for first-line antiretroviral therapy.

Stavudine, didanosine and nevirapine in antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected patients.

In an ongoing, open-label, non-comparative study, the safety and efficacy of nevirapine/stavudine/didanosine were evaluated in 100 antiretroviral-naive adults with CD4 cell counts > or = 200 cells/mm3 and plasma HIV-1 RNA (pVL) > or = 5000 copies/ml. Sixty patients received nevirapine twice daily (VIRGO I) and 40 received nevirapine once daily (VIRGO II); all patients received didanosine once a day. After median follow-ups of 44 weeks in VIRGO I and 30 weeks in VIRGO II, the following virological results were observed (ongoing study): an intent-to-treat, non-completer equals failure analysis at week 24 showed the proportions of patients with pVL <500 copies/ml were 78% in VIRGO I (60% <50 copies/ml) and 75% in VIRGO II. An on-treatment analysis at week 52 showed 80% of patients with a pVL <500 copies/ml and 59% with <50 copies/ml in VIRGO I. The mean CD4 cell count increase was +171 cells/mm3 at week 24 and +218 cells/mm3 at week 52 in VIRGO I and +158 cells/mm3 at week 24 in VIRGO II. Cutaneous rash (grades 1 to 3) occurred in 24% of patients leading to nevirapine discontinuation in eight of 24 patients. Five other patients discontinued therapy during the first 24 weeks because of hepatic cytolysis, peripheral neuropathy or biological pancreatitis. The nevirapine/stavudine/didanosine combination is a convenient and safe regimen, with rapid and potent immunological and antiviral effects sustained over 12 months.

Quantification of enterovirus RNA in sludge samples using single tube real-time RT-PCR.

We have developed a quantitative RT-PCR method that can be used to determine the amount of enterovirus RNA in urban sludge samples. This method combines Taq-Man technology with the ABI Prism 7700 real-time sequence detection system. We optimized a one-step RT-PCR that uses a dual-labeled fluorogenic probe to quantify the 5' noncoding region of enteroviruses. For accurate quantification of the number of copies, a Mahoney type 1 poliovirus RNA standard was designed and produced using genetic engineering. This fragment, quantified using the Ribogreen method, was used in serial dilutions as an external standard. The method had a 7-log dynamic range (5 to 2 x 10(7)). PCR inhibitors were removed by extracting viral RNA (after virus concentration) using the RNeasy mini kit with added polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and running the amplification reaction with a mixture containing PVP and T4 gene 32 protein. This real-time quantification of enterovirus RNA allows large numbers of samples to be screened. Its sensitivity, simplicity and reproducibility render it suitable as a screening method with which to characterize enteroviruses, the presence of infectious particles being subsequently confirmed by cell culture.

Constant mitochondrial DNA levels in blood leukocytes of patients enrolled in a NRTI-free therapeutic trial (BIKS-2 study).

OBJECTIVES: Determine if a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI)-free regimen affected mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients enrolled in BIKS-2 trial. METHODS: Antiretroviral (ARV) naïve (N=13) and NRTI experienced (N=7) patients, received lopinavir/ritonavir, a boosted protease inhibitor, and efavirenz, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor from Month (M) 0 to M12 (1-year BIKS trial) and from M12 to M36 (2-year BIKS-2 trial). MtDNA was quantified at M12, M24 and M36 via real-time PCR assay. RESULTS: From M12 to M36, the 20 patients have maintained undetectable plasma HIV-1 RNA, gained CD4 cells and had no side effects attributable to these drugs. Median mtDNA contents were constant: 478.6 at M12, 478.6 at M24 and 324.4 copies/cell at M36 (pM12-M36=0.5). Because M0 data is missing, these results were compared to those of two groups of age matched individuals: healthy donors and HIV-infected patients before and after exposure to NRTIs. Healthy donors have higher contents (871), followed by patients never treated (602), than by BIKS patients where 7 had toxic NRTIs (478.6) and at last by patients exposed for six months to the most toxic combination (ddI-d4T) (85 copies/cell). CONCLUSION: Lopinavir/ritonavir+efavirenz did not affect mtDNA contents in PBMCs.

Decrease of enteric micro-organisms from rural sewage sludge during their composting in straw mixture.

AIMS: To study the decrease of enteric micro-organisms including viable nematode eggs, enteroviruses, faecal indicators (Escherichia coli and enterococci) and pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella sp. and Clostridium perfringens) of a rural sewage sludge when it is composted for 7 months in mixture with straw. METHODS AND RESULTS: Numbers of the test organisms and the physico-chemical parameters were measured on a monthly basis on the mixture, on the compost after being turned, and on the pile in three positions representing the part by which air is incoming, the bottom of the pile and the part through which air is outgoing. The lowest temperature in the pile was observed at the bottom, where it did not exceed 50 degrees C against 66 degrees C in the two other areas. There were no significant differences between the three areas in terms of micro-organism survival. Infectious enteroviruses were inactivated rapidly and were not found after the first turning whereas some genomes were detected until after the third turning. Escherichia coli and enterococci presented a similar survival rate and their number decreased by 4 log(10) whereas Salmonella decayed at a greater rate than L. monocytogenes. The numbers of C. perfringens decreased gradually to reach a final concentration in the mature compost of about 10(2) CFU g(-1) dry matter (d.m.), which was similar to that of the faecal indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The hygienic effect of sludge composting in mixture with straw results in a significant reduction of enteric micro-organisms, the concentration of the faecal indicators in the final product being < 64 most probable number g(-1) d.m. The concentrations of Salmonella, enteroviruses and viable nematode eggs in the final product were not detectable which is in accordance with the French legislation. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results which pointed out the different behaviour of the test micro-organisms reflect the difficulty to propose a relevant indicator of hygienization. Otherwise, they show that composting is an efficient means for hygienization of sludge of rural wastewater treatment, where the straw is available close to their place of production.

Development of a culture medium for large-scale production of cellulolytic enzymes by Trichoderma reesei.

Culture filtrates of CL-847 strain of Trichoderma reesei grown on different carbon sources have been compared. The highest enzyme production is obtained with Whatman C 41 cellulose: 17.9 mg/mL of soluble proteins and 13.7 units of filter paper (FP) activity. Wood pulps gave lower production values and more viscous culture media. About one-third of maximal enzyme production is obtained on lactose as the sole carbon source. Addition of 0.5% cellulosic inducer to 6% lactose media enhances enzyme production up to the following levels: 14.1 mg/mL of soluble proteins and 8.4 units of FP activity.

Quantification and duration of viraemia during hepatitis A infection as determined by real-time RT-PCR.

Human transmission studies and molecular techniques have provided evidence that transient viraemia occurs during infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV). However, the duration of its presence and levels during the phases of clinical disease and convalescence has not yet been well studied in human patients. Real-time RT-PCR techniques are increasingly used to quantify RNA viruses for diagnosis and/or research purposes. We have optimized a one-step RT-PCR that contains a dual-labelled fluorogenic probe to quantify the 5' noncoding region (5' NCR) of HAV. This method has a dynamic range (5-5 x 10(6) copies). The coefficient of regression of the standard curve was, on average 0.978. Intra-assay CVs% varied from 6.1% to 0.98%, and interassay CVs% from 6.46% to 2.1%. In the currently reported study 41 HAV IgM positive serum samples and 200 serum samples from healthy blood donors were tested by the quantitative RT-PCR method. The mean values on the first day of diagnosis found was 6.38 x 10(5) copies/mL. In a longitudinal study, viraemia persisted for an average of 60 days after clinical onset. These results show that viraemia in HAV infection lasts for many weeks.

Clearance of human-pathogenic viruses from sludge: study of four stabilization processes by real-time reverse transcription-PCR and cell culture.

Sludges derived from wastewater treatment are foul-smelling, biologically unstable substances. As well as containing numerous pathogenic microorganisms, they also consist of organic matter that can be used as agricultural fertilizer. Legislation nevertheless requires sludges to be virologically tested prior to spreading by the counting of infectious enterovirus particles. This method, based on culture of enterovirus on BGM cells, is lengthy and not very sensitive. The aim of this study was to propose an alternative method of genome quantification for all enteroviruses that is applicable to verifying the elimination of viruses in complex samples such as sludges. Our complete protocol was compared to the official method, consisting of enterovirus enumeration with the most probable number of cythopathic unit (MPNCU) assay through the study of four stabilization procedures: liming, composting, heat treatment, and mesophile anaerobic digestion. Enterovirus quantities at the start of the stabilization procedures were between 37 and 288 MPNCU/g on the one scale and between 4 and 5 log genome copies/g on the other. It was shown that all procedures except mesophile anaerobic digestion were highly effective in the elimination of enterovirus particles and genomes in wastewater sludges. Reduction of viruses by mesophile anaerobic digestion was by only 1 log (infectious particles and genomes). In conclusion, stabilization processes can indeed be checked by virological quality control of sludges with gene amplification. However, the infectivity of genomes needs to be confirmed with cell culture or a correlation model if the virological risk inherent in the agricultural use of such sludges is to be fully addressed.

Best viral elution method available for quantification of enteroviruses in sludge by both cell culture and reverse transcription-PCR.

The aim of this study was to select one or several virus extraction techniques that enable simultaneous detection of enterovirus genomes and infectious particles in different types of urban sludge. Eight techniques were compared by using 16 different liquid and solid sludge samples. The numbers of infectious enteroviruses in cell cultures were determined by using the most-probable-number method. The enterovirus genome was quantified by a single-tube reverse transcription-PCR using TaqMan technology. The results were statistically analyzed by Friedman's test, a nonparametric test for analysis of randomized block data using only ranks in terms of extraction technique efficiency. Two techniques seemed to yield higher viral titers as determined by simultaneous detection by cell culture and PCR. The first involved a 10% beef extract solution at pH 9 and sonication; the second involved a 0.3 M NaCl-7% beef extract solution at pH 7.5 followed by Freon treatment. In solid sludge, no significant differences were observed among the eight techniques tested. Both of the best techniques can be used for simultaneous detection of infectious enterovirus particles and genomes in any type of urban sludge.

Genetic analysis of hepatitis A virus outbreak in France confirms the co-circulation of subgenotypes Ia, Ib and reveals a new genetic lineage.

Genetic analysis of selected genome regions of hepatitis A Virus (HAV) suggested that distinct genotype could be defined in different geographic locations. In order to study the degree of genetic variability among HAV isolated during a single epidemic outbreak, sequences from a 148 base pair segment within the VP1 amino terminal region were obtained for eight distinct HAV isolates from an outbreak that occurred in North Bretagne (France). These sequences were compared among themselves and with published sequences from 30 different strains that represented different HAV sub-genotypes that were isolated all over the world. Phylogenetic analysis revealed an extensive genetic heterogeneity among strains belonging to the same outbreak and revealed co-circulation of sub-genotype IA, IB, and the presence of IIIA sub-genotype for the first time in a Mediterranean country.

Application of a real-time polymerase chain reaction with internal positive control for detection and quantification of enterovirus in cerebrospinal fluid.

A quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method based on TaqMan technology was developed to determine the presence and amount of enterovirus RNA. In order to prevent false-negative results, a one-step multiplex RT-PCR was optimized. It contains two dual-labelled fluorogenic probes to quantify the 5' noncoding region of enterovirus and detect an internal positive control. In the present study, 104 cerebrospinal fluid samples collected during an outbreak of enteroviral meningitis were analyzed using this method. Amplification of the internal positive control was effective in all but two specimens, confirming the absence of PCR inhibitors and allowing the results of amplification to be validated. The sensitivity of the RT-PCR was 96.8%, while that of cell culture was 34.9%. Genomic viral loads found ranged between 3.3 and 5.9 log(10) copies per milliliter of cerebrospinal fluid (mean, 4.8 log(10) copies/ml). This fluorogenic enterovirus RT-PCR allows large numbers of samples to be screened rapidly. Moreover, its sensitivity and reproducibility make it highly reliable. With these characteristics, the enterovirus RT-PCR can be a useful tool that may offer considerable benefit in the clinical management of patients with enteroviral infections.

Substitution of a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor for a protease inhibitor in the treatment of patients with undetectable plasma human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNA.

Seventy-three patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) were enrolled in a prospective observational study to investigate the efficacy and tolerance of substituting a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) for a protease inhibitor (PI) in patients whose plasma viral load (pVL) was controlled by a PI regimen. After a median follow-up of 52 weeks, 63 patients (86.3%) had undetectable pVLs. The incidence of virological breakthrough at 12 months of follow-up was 6.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1-20) among patients who had been antiretroviral naive before receiving HAART and 19.2% (95% CI, 6-34) among patients who had been treated with antiretroviral drugs before receiving the PI regimen (P=.10).

Allogenic bone marrow transplantation with a donor presenting with an acute hepatitis A.

We report the unique occurrence of an allogenic bone marrow transplantation performed as the donor was suffering from an acute hepatitis A. The bone marrow was contaminated at the time of collection, as demonstrated by hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA detected by RT-PCR. Hepatitis A virus infection in such a situation could have resulted in a severe liver disease in the recipient. However, although we could demonstrate that the recipient had been infected, he did not develop a symptomatic hepatitis A but only minor disturbances of liver function tests between days 35 and 55. Both the postponement of the transplantation and the use of intravenous polyvalent immunoglobulins have probably played a key role in decreasing the viral load and allowing a rapid clearance of the virus. A possible role of the grafted immune system might also be envisaged, as suggested by the de novo synthesis of IgM in the recipient.