Plitidepsin as a successful rescue treatment for prolonged viral SARS-CoV-2 replication in a patient with previous anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody-mediated B cell depletion and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need for highly efficacious antiviral therapies in immunosuppressed hosts who develop coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with special concern for those affected by hematological malignancies. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we report the case of a 75-year-old male with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who was deficient in CD19+CD20+ B-lymphocyte populations due to previous treatment with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. The patient presented with severe COVID-19 pneumonia due to prolonged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and was treated with two courses of the antiviral plitidepsin on a compassionate use basis. The patient subsequently achieved an undetectable viral load, and his pneumonia resolved. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with plitidepsin was well-tolerated without any further hematological or cardiovascular toxicities. This case further supports plitidepsin as a potential antiviral drug in SARS-CoV-2 patients affected by immune deficiencies and hematological malignancies.

[Reactivity of serologic tests for the detection of syphilis in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus]. / Reactividad de las pruebas serológicas para detección de sífilis en pacientes infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana.

BACKGROUND: The coexistence of syphilis and infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) appears to modify the natural history of both diseases. The aim of this study was to know the prevalence of syphilis in a population of patients with HIV infection, the possible association with certain risk practices and the validity of the reaginic test in such patients. METHODS: Three hundred sixty-seven patients with HIV infection who went for the first time to a monographic clinic of a university hospital were studied. Syphilis serology was carried out: rapid plasma reaginic (RPR) and hemagglutination (MHA-TP) tests. RESULTS: Out of all the patients 26 (7.1%) had positive MHA-TP. The proportion of homosexuals was greater among those who had a positive treponemic test (69%) than among those who were negative (6.4%; odds ratio [OR] = 32.6; confidence interval 95%: 16.2-65.4). The positivity of MHA-TP was more frequent among those presenting criteria of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) at the diagnosis (18% versus 5.6%; OR = 3.6 [1,5-8,9]). Seventy-four false positive reactions were observed with the RPR (20%) corresponding almost exclusively (96%) to intravenous drug users who presented false positivity in 25% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of syphilis detected by treponemic serology among subjects with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus is related with homosexuality as the principal practice of risk. One quarter of the intravenous drug users with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus presented false positive results to the reaginic test thus leading to the recommendation that therapeutic measures should not be initiated without confirmation with a treponemic test.