Human papillomavirus prevalence among unvaccinated young female college students in Botswana: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection and a causative agent of cervical cancer. It is common in adolescent girls and young women, and the majority of infections are transient and asymptomatic. In Botswana, there are currently no data on the HPV prevalence against which the impact of prophylactic HPV vaccines can be measured. OBJECTIVES: To establish a baseline HPV prevalence in an unvaccinated cohort of young women. METHODS: Women aged ≥18 years were recruited from the University of Botswana between September 2016 and May 2020. Demographic and behavioural characteristics of participants were collected. Subsequently, cervicovaginal swabs were obtained and tested for HPV using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. We determined the prevalent HPV types, and evaluated the risk factors associated with HPV positivity. RESULTS: A total of 978 young women were recruited. Overall, there were 589 (60.2%) participants with HPV infection and 12 (1.2%) with HIV. The median (interquartile range) age of the study participants was 19 (18 - 20) years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that significant factors associated with HPV positivity were sexual activity (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49 - 2.63; p<0.001), number of sex partners ≥3 (aOR 2.10; 95% CI 1.39 - 3.18; p<0.001), and smoking (aOR 2.00; 95% CI 1.26 - 3.20; p=0.004). CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate for the first time the prevalence of HPV in unvaccinated young women in Botswana. We found a high prevalence of HPV infection, with statistical differences with different risk factors. This finding supports the need for HPV vaccination strategies for females prior to sexual debut to reduce the future burden of cervical cancer in Botswana.

High rates of exposure to tuberculosis patients among HIV-infected health care workers in Botswana.

OBJECTIVE: To compare daily exposure to tuberculosis (TB) patients between HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected health care workers (HCWs), and examine the uptake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) among HIV-infected HCWs in Botswana. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional study among HCWs in 30 hospitals and clinics. We determined self-reported exposure frequency to TB patients and HIV status through in-person interviews. HCWs with unknown or negative HIV status were offered rapid HIV testing. Multivariable Poisson regression modeling with robust variance was used to estimate the association between HIV status and daily exposure to TB patients. RESULTS: Of 1877 participants enrolled, 1388 (73.9%) with complete data were included in this study. Among 277 (20.0%) HIV-infected participants, 14.3% were newly diagnosed, 57.8% were on ART, and 34.3% reported previously receiving IPT. Daily exposure to TB patients was reported by respectively 48.4% and 52.9% of HIV-infected and non-infected participants. After adjusting for sex, age, occupation, and department, the rates of daily TB exposure remained similar between HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected participants (prevalence ratio 0.96, 95%CI 0.85-1.08). CONCLUSIONS: We found similar rates of exposure to TB patients between HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected HCWs. Improved efforts are needed to reduce nosocomial exposure to TB among HIV-infected HCWs.

Protocol for a population-based molecular epidemiology study of tuberculosis transmission in a high HIV-burden setting: the Botswana Kopanyo study.

INTRODUCTION: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is transmitted from person to person via airborne droplet nuclei. At the community level, Mtb transmission depends on the exposure venue, infectiousness of the tuberculosis (TB) index case and the susceptibility of the index case's social network. People living with HIV infection are at high risk of TB, yet the factors associated with TB transmission within communities with high rates of TB and HIV are largely undocumented. The primary aim of the Kopanyo study is to better understand the demographic, clinical, social and geospatial factors associated with TB and multidrug-resistant TB transmission in 2 communities in Botswana, a country where 60% of all patients with TB are also infected with HIV. This manuscript describes the methods used in the Kopanyo study. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study will be conducted in greater Gaborone, which has high rates of HIV and a mobile population; and in Ghanzi, a rural community with lower prevalence of HIV infection and home to the native San population. Kopanyo aims to enrol all persons diagnosed with TB during a 4-year study period. From each participant, sputum will be cultured, and for all Mtb isolates, molecular genotyping (24-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats) will be performed. Patients with matching genotype results will be considered members of a genotype cluster, a proxy for recent transmission. Demographic, behavioural, clinical and social information will be collected by interview. Participant residence, work place, healthcare facilities visited and social gathering venues will be geocoded. We will assess relationships between these factors and cluster involvement to better plan interventions for reducing TB transmission. ETHICS: Ethical approval from the Independent Review Boards at the University of Pennsylvania, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Botswana Ministry of Health and University of Botswana has been obtained.

Outcomes in HIV-infected adults with tuberculosis at clinics with and without co-located HIV clinics in Botswana.

SETTING: Gaborone, Botswana. OBJECTIVE: To determine if starting anti-tuberculosis treatment at clinics in Gaborone without co-located human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinics would delay time to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation and be associated with lower survival compared to starting anti-tuberculosis treatment at clinics with on-site HIV clinics. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. Subjects were HAART-naïve, aged ≥ 21 years with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), HIV and CD4 counts ≤ 250 cells/mm(3) initiating anti-tuberculosis treatment between 2005 and 2010. Survival at completion of anti-tuberculosis treatment or at 6 months post-treatment initiation and time to HAART after anti-tuberculosis treatment initiation were compared by clinic type. RESULTS: Respectively 259 and 80 patients from clinics without and with on-site HIV facilities qualified for the study. Age, sex, CD4, baseline sputum smears and loss to follow-up rate were similar by clinic type. Mortality did not differ between clinics without or with on-site HIV clinics (20/250, 8.0% vs. 8/79, 10.1%, relative risk 0.79, 95%CI 0.36-1.72), nor did median time to HAART initiation (respectively 63 and 66 days, P = 0.53). CONCLUSION: In urban areas where TB and HIV programs are separate, geographic co-location alone without further integration may not reduce mortality or time to HAART initiation among co-infected patients.

Alcohol use and abuse among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Botswana.

BACKGROUND: Data on alcohol abuse as a risk factor for the development of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To describe the patterns of alcohol use in MDR-TB patients and to determine whether alcohol use is associated with the development of MDR-TB in Botswana. METHODS: We compared the level of alcohol use among MDR-TB patients against three control groups: 1) non-MDR-TB patients, 2) human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients without a history of TB, and 3) the general population. Alcohol use and abuse was measured with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test 10 (AUDIT) questionnaire. RESULTS: Of a total national population of 164 MDR-TB cases, 114 (70%) were interviewed. MDR-TB cases had a lifetime prevalence of alcohol use of 35.1%, which was lower than that of all control groups (P < 0.001). MDR-TB cases had higher 1-month prevalence of alcohol dependence symptoms and a lower 1-year period prevalence of alcohol dependence symptoms (P < 0.01 and P = 0.01 respectively). Among patients with TB, alcohol abuse was found to be a risk factor for the development of MDR-TB. CONCLUSION: MDR-TB patients in Botswana have high rates of alcohol use and abuse. Among TB patients, alcohol abuse is associated with the diagnosis of MDR-TB, and could be an important modifiable factor.