Transmission of a multidrug-resistant HIV-! from an accupational exposure, in São Paulo, Brazil

ABSTRACT

We documented the first transmission of a multidrug-resistant HIV from an occupational exposure in Sao Paulo, Brazil, albeit with antiretroviral prophylaxis instituted within 1 h after the accident. A 27-year-old female healthcare worker (HCW) sustained an index finger needle stick injury with a 20-gauge needle while puncturing the forearm of an HIV-infected patient. The putative source (index) patient was a 44-year-old homeless female, on irregular use of zidovudine (AZT), lamivudine (3TC) and ritonavir boosted lopinavir(LPV/r). She was hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfected and had been prescribed different regimens including nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), non-nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) or protease inhibitors since 2011. Around the time of the accident, she had a HIV viral load of 4.56 log10, HCV viral load of 5.9 log10 (Abbott Real Time HIV and HCV, USA) and CD4+ cell count (BD Biosciences FACSCalibur Flow Cytometer, USA) of 143 cells/µl. After the HCW tested negative by rapid test, AZT/3TC/LPV/r was instituted, as suggested by current guidelines [1,2], within 1 h of the accident.