Prevalence of transmitted HIV-1 antiretroviral resistance among patients initiating antiretroviral therapy in Brazil: a surveillance study using dried blood spots.

INTRODUCTION: In Brazil, the use of antiretrovirals is widespread: more than 260,000 individuals are currently undergoing treatment. We conducted a survey targeting antiretroviral-naïve individuals who were initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) according to local guidelines. This survey covered five Brazilian regions. METHODS: The HIV Threshold Survey methodology (HIV-THS) of the World Health Organization was utilized, and subjects were selected from seven highly populated cities representative of all Brazilian macro-regions. Dried blood spots (DBS) were collected on SS903 collection cards and were transported by regular mail at room temperature to a single central laboratory for genotyping. RESULTS: We analysed samples from 329 individuals initiating highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 39 (11.8%) of whom were harbouring transmitted drug resistance (TDR). The mean CD4+ T cell count was 253 cells/µL, and the mean viral load was 142,044 copies/mL. The regional prevalence of resistance was 17.0% in the Northeast, 12.8% in the Southeast, 10.6% in the Central region, 8.5% in the North and 8.5% in the South. The inhibitor-specific TDR prevalence was 6.9% for nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, 4.9% for non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and 3.9% for protease inhibitors; 3.6% of individuals presented resistance to more than one class of inhibitors. Overall, there were trends towards higher prevalences of subtype C towards the South and subtype F towards the North. Of the DBS samples collected, 9.3% failed to provide reliable results. DISCUSSION: We identified variable TDR prevalence, ranging from intermediate to high levels, among individuals in whom HIV disease progressed, thus implying that resistance testing before initiating ART could be effective in Brazil. Our results also indicate that the use of DBS might be especially valuable for providing access to testing in resource-limited and remote settings.

American tegumentary leishmaniasis and HIV-AIDS association in a tertiary care center in the Brazilian Amazon.

American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are both common infectious diseases in the Brazilian Amazon with overlapping expansion areas, which leads to the occurrence of Leishmania/HIV coinfection. Most ATL/HIV-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) association cases have been reported from areas where Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis is the main pathogen; this finding is in contrast with the Amazon region, where L. (V.) guyanensis is the most implicated agent, implying distinct clinical and therapeutic aspects. We describe 15 cases of ATL/HIV coinfection treated in a tertiary care center in the Brazilian Amazon between 1999 and 2008. Thirteen patients presented with diverse clinical manifestations of cutaneous leishmaniasis, and four of them had disseminated forms; two patients presented with mucosal leishmaniasis (ML). Seven patients required more than one course of treatment. The particularities of ATL/HIV-AIDS association in L. (V.) guyanensis-endemic areas require efforts for an increased understanding of its burden and subsequent improvements in case management.

Diagnóstico clínico e etiológico da alergia ocular / Clinical and etiological diagnosis of ocular allergy

Objetivo: determinar o diagnóstico oftalmológico das alergias oculares IgE mediadas, observar as características clínicas e laboratoriais, bem como evidenciar a etiologia de pacientes com alergia ocular.Casuística e métodos: foram avaliados, prospectivamente, 35 pacientes com diagnóstico oftalmológico de alergia ocular. Foi aplicado questionário para análise de dados pessoais, história e exame físico, e realizados exames subsidiários (hemograma, IgE sérica total, citológico de lágrima e teste cutâneo de leitura imediata) para investigação do quadro alérgico. Resultados: a média de idade do aparecimento dos sintomas foi 9,5 anos, com 51 per cent dos pacientes do sexo masculino e 77 per cent dos casos apresentavam antecedentes familiares de atopia. O diagnóstico de conjuntivite alérgica sazonal e perene ocorreu em 65,5 per cent dos casos. Achados laboratoriais de IgE sérica e eosinofilia sanguínea alterados foram observados em 88 per cent e 63 per cent dos casos, respectivamente. O teste cutâneo de leitura imediata foi positivo em 94,3 per cent dos pacientes, commaior positividade para os ácaros do pó domiciliar. Conclusões: a maioria dos casos estudados surgiu na infância e adolescência, sendo que a maior parte com história familiar de atopia favorável. A conjuntivite alérgica sazonal e perene foi o tipo de alergia ocular mais prevalente. A etiologia alérgica foi confirmada e os ácaros do pó domiciliar foram os principais responsáveis.