Resistance rates among antiretroviral regimens in pregnant people living with HIV.

OBJECTIVES: To update nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) and protease inhibitor (PI) resistance rates and describe the frequency of HIV subtypes in a cohort of pregnant people living with HIV (PPLH) at a national Prevention of Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) centre. METHODS: We evaluated genotypic resistance among PPLH during prenatal care who were antiretroviral therapy-naïve or experienced. We determined mutations by the Surveillance of Drug Resistance Mutations (SDRM) dataset and also focused on studying participants with intermediate or high resistance defined through the Stanford score. RESULTS: From 2018 to 2021, 1170 PPLH received prenatal care at the centre and 550 were genotyped. Among the 295 SDRMs, with respect to NRTI resistance mutations, there were 27/295 (9.2%) M184V/I, 14/295 (4.7%) T215Y/C/D/E/F/V/I/S and 12/295 (4.1%) M41L. For NNRTI, there were 75/295 (25.4%) K103N, 18/295 (6.1%) M230L and 14/295 (4.7%) G190A/E/S mutations. For PI, the most frequent mutations were 13/295 (4.4%) V82A/S/F/T, 12/295 (4.1%) M46I/L and 10/295 (3.4%) D30N. Based on the Stanford score, 36/224 (16%) naïve participants had one or more antiretroviral resistance mutations, 81% of whom had NNRTI resistance. In the treatment-experience group, 108/326 (33%) had one or more mutations, 91% of whom had NNRTI resistance. The most frequent HIV subtype was B (82.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that continuous surveys of HIV genotype appear to be important tools to map the distribution and evolution of HIV subtypes and resistance to provide information to support treatment policies. Furthermore, concerns about the use of rilpivirine-containing regimens underscore the importance of resistance surveillance.

Real-world experience with weight gain among pregnant women living with HIV who are using integrase inhibitors.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed real-world weight change and pregnancy outcomes among pregnant women living with HIV who used integrase strand transferase inhibitor (INSTI)-based combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study from 2014 to 2021 for prevention of perinatal HIV infection, we evaluated changes in weight from the first prenatal visit to near delivery for two groups. The categories of change were: low (< 0.18 kg/week), normal (0.18-0.59 kg/week), and high (> 0.59 kg/week). The backbones were lamivudine + tenofovir disoproxil or lamivudine + zidovudine. The comparison groups were women with body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m2 versus BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 and INSTI-naïve versus INSTI-experienced. Continuous variables were analysed with a Kruskal-Wallis test and count or categorical data with χ2 tests. RESULTS: We enrolled 198 pregnant women. At study entry, 74 had BMI < 25 kg/m2 and 124 had BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 . Excess gestational weight gain was more frequent among women who were INSTI-naïve among both BMI groups (< 25 and ≥ 25). However, the proportion of participants per weight change category was only significantly different between INSTI-naïve women with baseline BMI < 25 kg/m2 and INSTI-experienced women with BMI < 25 kg/m2 . In particular, INSTI-naïve women with BMI < 25 kg/m2 had significantly higher rates of excess gestational weight gain (31.6%) compared with participants with BMI < 25 kg/m2 who conceived while on INSTIs (11.8%, p = 0.004). Rates of unfavourable pregnancy outcomes were low and did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS: INSTI-naïve participants with BMI < 25 kg/m2 gained more weight during pregnancy than participants with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 who conceived while using INSTIs. Rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes did not differ between the groups.

Zika Virus Infection and Differential Diagnosis in a Cohort of HIV-Infected Patients.

BACKGROUND: Zika virus (ZIKV) emergence in South America revealed the lack of knowledge regarding clinical manifestations in HIV-infected individuals. OBJECTIVES: We described the clinical characteristics, laboratory manifestations, differential diagnosis, and outcome of ZIKV infection in a large, single-center cohort of HIV-infected patients. METHODS: HIV-infected patients aged 18 years and older with clinical suspected arboviral disease from an ongoing cohort were followed from February 2015 through December 2015. Acute serum samples were tested for ZIKV, dengue virus (DENV), and chikungunya virus by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, anti-DENV immunoglobulin (Ig)M/IgG, and syphilis assays; convalescent samples were tested for anti-DENV IgM/IgG; and urine samples were tested for ZIKV by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. ZIKV disease was defined according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) guidelines. RESULTS: Of 101 patients, ZIKV was confirmed in 43 cases and suspected in 34, and another diagnosis was assumed for 24 patients (dengue, secondary/latent syphilis, respiratory infections, human parvovirus B19, adverse drug reaction, musculoskeletal disorders, and acute gastroenteritis). ZIKV-confirmed and ZIKV-suspected patients reported similar signs and symptoms. Pruritic rash was the most common symptom, followed by myalgia, nonpurulent conjunctivitis, arthralgia, prostration, and headache. In the short-term follow-up [median 67.5 days (interquartile range: 32-104.5)], CD4 cell count (Z = -0.831, P = 0.406) and HIV viral load (Z = -0.447, P = 0.655) did not change significantly after ZIKV infection. There were no hospitalizations, complications, or deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Among HIV-infected patients with suspected arboviral disease, 42.6% were ZIKV-infected. CD4 cell counts and HIV viral load were not different after ZIKV infection. Differential diagnosis with other diseases and adverse drug reaction should be evaluated.

Unexpectedly long incubation period of Plasmodium vivax malaria, in the absence of chemoprophylaxis, in patients diagnosed outside the transmission area in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: In 2010, Brazil recorded 3343,599 cases of malaria, with 99.6% of them concentrated in the Amazon region. Plasmodium vivax accounts for 86% of the cases circulating in the country. The extra-Amazonian region, where transmission does not occur, recorded about 566 cases imported from the Amazonian area in Brazil and South America, from Central America, Asia and African countries. Prolonged incubation periods have been described for P. vivax malaria in temperate climates. The diversity in essential biological characteristics is traditionally considered as one possible explanation to the emergence of relapse in malaria and to the differences in the duration of the incubation period, which can also be explained by the use of chemoprophylaxis. Studying the reported cases of P. vivax malaria in Rio de Janeiro, where there is no vector transmission, has made it possible to evaluate the extension of the incubation period and to notice that it may be extended in some cases. METHODS: Descriptive study of every malaria patients who visited the clinic in the last five years. The mean, standard deviation, median, minimum and maximum of all incubation periods were analysed. RESULTS: From the total of 80 patients seen in the clinic during the study time, with confirmed diagnosis of malaria, 49 (63%) were infected with P. vivax. Between those, seven had an estimated incubation period varying from three to 12 months and were returned travellers from Brazilian Amazonian states (6) and Indonesia (1). None of them had taken malarial chemoprophylaxis. CONCLUSIONS: The authors emphasize that considering malaria as a possible cause of febrile syndrome should be a post-travel routine, independent of the time elapsed after exposure in the transmission area, even in the absence of malaria chemoprophylaxis. They speculate that, since there is no current and detailed information about the biological cycle of human malaria plasmodia's in Brazil, it is possible that new strains are circulating in endemic regions or a change in cycle of preexisting strains is occurring. Considering that a prolonged incubation period may confer advantages on the survival of the parasite, difficulties in malaria control might arise.