Diagnostic performance evaluation of urine HIV-1 antibody rapid test kits in a real-life routine care setting in China.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of urine HIV antibody rapid test kits in screening diverse populations and to analyse subjects' willingness regarding reagent types, purchase channels, acceptable prices, and self-testing. DESIGNS: Diagnostic accuracy studies PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2606 valid and eligible samples were collected in the study, including 202 samples from female sex workers (FSWs), 304 persons with injection drug use (IDU), 1000 pregnant women (PW), 100 subjects undergoing voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VCT) and 1000 students in higher education schools or colleges (STUs). Subjects should simultaneously meet the following inclusion criteria: (1) being at least 18 years old and in full civil capacity, (2) signing an informed consent form and (3) providing truthful identifying information to ensure that the subjects and their samples are unique. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) of the urine HIV-1 antibody rapid test kits were 92.16%, 99.92% and 0.960 (95% CI: 0.952 to 0.968, p<0.001), respectively, among 2606 samples collected during on-site screenings. The kits showed good diagnostic performance in persons with IDU (AUC, 1.000; 95% CI, 1.000 to 1.000, p<0.001), PW (AUC, 0.999; 95% CI, 0.999 to 1.000, p<0.001) and FSWs (AUC, 1.000; 95% CI, 1.000 to 1.000, p<0.001). The AUC of the urine reagent kits in subjects undergoing VCT was 0.941 (95% CI: 0.876 to 0.978, p<0.001). The 'acceptable price' had the greatest influence on STUs (Pi=1.000) and PW (Pi=1.000), the 'purchase channel' had the greatest influence on subjects undergoing VCT (Pi=1.000) and persons with IDU (Pi=1.000) and the 'reagent types' had the greatest influence on FSWs (Pi=1.000). CONCLUSIONS: The rapid urine test kits showed good diagnostic validity in practical applications, despite a few cases involving misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis.

Mortality risk in the population of HIV-positive individuals in Southern China: A cohort study.

To evaluate the mortality risk in the HIV-positive population, we conducted an observational cohort study involving routine data collection of HIV-positive patients who presented at HIV clinics and multiple treatment centers throughout Guangxi province, Southern China in 2011. The patients were screened for tuberculosis (TB) and tested for hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) virus infections yearly. Following the registration, the cohort was followed up for a 60-month period till the end-point (December 31, 2015). Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for mortality after adjusting for confounding factors stratified by patients' sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics. HRs were compared within risk-factor levels. With the median follow-up of 3.7-person years for each individual, 5,398 (37.8%) (of 14,293 patients with HIV/AIDS) died; among whom, 78.4% were antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve; 43.6% presented late; and 12.2% and 3.3% of patients had Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and HBV and HCV co-infection, respectively. Of individuals with CD4 counts, those with CD4 count >350 cells/µL formed 14.0% of those who died. Furthermore, gender [multivariable HR (95% CI):1.94 (1.68-2.25)], Han ethnicity [2.15 (1.07-4.32)], illiteracy [3.28 (1.96-5.5)], elementary education [2.91 (1.8-4.72)], late presentation [2.89 (2.46-3.39)], and MTB co-infection [1.28 (1.10-1.49)] strongly increased the all-cause mortality risk of HIV-positive individuals. The HR for ART-based stratification was 0.08 (0.07-0.09); and for HBV and HCV co-infection, HR was 1.02 (0.86-1.21). The findings emphasized that accessibility to HIV testing among high-risk populations and screening for viral hepatitis and TB co-infection are important for the survival of HIV-positive individuals. Initiating early ART, even for individuals with higher CD4 counts, is advisable to help increase the prolongation of lives within the community.

Near Full-Length Genomic Characterization of a Novel HIV Type 1 CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC Recombinant Form Transmitted Between a Heterosexual Couple in Guangxi, China.

In this research, we reported a new second generation recombinant form (GXDY460B) between circulating recombinant form (CRF)01_AE and CRF07_BC in a seroconversion couple who obtained the virus from her husband by heterosexual behavior. The analysis result of the near full-length genomic characterization showed that the genome comprises at least 12 interlaced segments, including six CRF07_BC and six CRF01_AE segments, with CRF07_BC as the main framework. Cocirculation of multiple virus subtypes and multiple infection routes have existed for a long time in Guangxi, but the recombinant strain was rarely reported among heterosexual transmission population because of its lower crowd confounding degree than men who have sex with men and injecting drug user population. It is the first time that the unique recombinant form (URF) between CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC was identified among heterosexual transmission in Guangxi. The emergence of the novel recombinant helps to understand the pattern of the URF virus.

[Efficacy of antiviral therapy on prevention of HIV transmission among sero-discordant couples in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the efficacy of antiviral therapy on prevention of HIV transmission and to assess the feasibility of treatment-as-prevention strategy in public health practice, among sero-discordant couples in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region (Guangxi). METHODS: Data was gathered through the AIDS prevention and control information system in Guangxi from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2014, on HIV sero-discordant couples. Time-dependent Cox Model was used to analyze the efficacy of antiviral treatment. RESULTS: A total of 7 694 sero-discordant couples were followed and 394 appeared positive from those negative spouses. The overall HIV positive seroconversion rate was 2.5 (2.2-2.7) /100 person-year. The HIV positive sero-conversion rates were 4.3 (3.7-4.8) /100 person-year in the untreated cohort and 1.6 (1.4-1.9) per 100 person-year in the treated cohort. Rate of HIV transmission declined by 51% in the treated cohort (HR=0.49, 95%CI: 0.40-0.60) but appeared as 45% (AHR=0.55, 95%CI:0.43-0.69) after adjusting for factors as sex, age, education, marital status, occupation, transmission route and baseline CD4(+)T lymphocyte cell count. The rate of reduction in transmission was significant among couples in which the HIV-positive spouses showing the following features as: aged ≥25 years, married, farmers, with educational level of junior high school or below, baseline CD4(+)T lymphocyte cell count <500 cells/mm(3) and infection was through heterosexual intercourse. CONCLUSION: Antiviral therapy as a prevention strategy among sero-discordant couples seemed feasible and effective in Guangxi. Expansion of the coverage on antiviral therapy would reduce the spread of HIV in married couples.

Rates of HIV, syphilis, and HCV infections among different demographic groups of female sex workers in Guangxi China: evidence from 2010 national sentinel surveillance data.

To examine the prevalence of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections by demographic characteristics and identify the subgroups of female sex workers (FSW) who are at a higher risk of the infections. Secondary analysis of the 2010 National Sentinel Surveillance (NSS) data was conducted in the current study. A total of 12,622 FSW recruited from 35 NSS sites in Guangxi, China were included in the analysis. FSW were tested for HIV, syphilis, and HCV. The overall prevalence of HIV, syphilis, and HCV infections were 1.0, 6.1, and 1.0%, respectively. The prevalence of HIV and syphilis infections was significantly higher among women who were 40 years of age or older, worked in small commercial sex venues or on the street, were divorced or widowed, or had no formal schooling. A very high HIV infection prevalence (8.2%) was observed among a small number of cross-border foreign FSW (n=49). The prevalence of HCV infection did not differ by most of the demographic characteristics. Living in other provinces or being a Zhuang-ethnic served as protective factors for HCV. The multivariable analyses confirmed the bivariate results suggesting higher prevalence of HIV and syphilis infections among FSW who were older, divorced or widowed, or had no formal schooling. Future HIV intervention prevention efforts among FSW need to pay particular attention to these women in order to effectively curtail the infections among this most-at-risk population as well as to prevent the further spread of HIV and syphilis to other populations.

The effect of a structural intervention for syphilis control among 3597 female sex workers: a demonstration study in South China.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis has made a rapid resurgence in China, especially among high-risk groups including female sex workers (FSWs). METHODS: Two cities in each of 3 provinces in South China were chosen and allocated to intervention or control arms. The intervention consisted of enhancing community-based syphilis screening outreach intervention with comprehensive sexually transmitted infection services at designated clinics while the control maintained routine intervention activities. Generalized linear modeling was used to examine effect of the intervention on incident syphilis infection. RESULTS: A total of 8275 women were eligible, and 3597 women enrolled (n = 2011 in control arm, n = 1586 in intervention arm) in the study. The median follow-up duration was 375 days (interquartile range, 267­475). Syphilis incidence density in the intervention group was reduced by 70% (95% confidence interval, 53%­81%) compared with the incidence in the control arm. The syphilis prevention intervention benefits were robust among FSWs at low-tier venues, individuals with less than high school education, migrants, and women who did not report condom use during the last episode of sex. CONCLUSIONS: Integrated sexually transmitted infection and human immunodeficiency virus prevention strategies substantially reduce syphilis incidence among FSWs, especially among those at low-tier venues. This intervention suggests the need for scaling up comprehensive FSW programs in China.

Prevalence and genotype distribution of human papillomavirus infection among female sex workers in Guangxi, China: implications for interventions.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a major public health concern in women, but information on HPV among female sex workers in China is limited. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV infection among female sex workers in two cities in Guangxi, China. A total of 811 female sex workers were recruited from venues between July and September of 2009. Data on socio-demographic and behavior characteristics were collected, and cervical swabs were collected to determine HPV infection and genotype distribution. The overall prevalence of infection with any HPV type was 38.9%. HPV type 52 was the most prevalent type with prevalence of 11%, followed by HPV types 16, 58, 53, and CP8304, with prevalences of 6.5%, 5.7%, 5.6%, and 4.8%, respectively. HPV 16 or 18 accounted for 23.2% of all HPV positive cases. Age group <20 years was significantly associated with infection of the high-risk and multiple types of HPV infection. A higher prevalence of multiple HPV infection was observed among female sex workers from the outdoor venues (14.0%; 95%CI, 10.6%-17.3%). These findings have important implications for developing HPV prevention programs including HPV vaccination in female sex workers.