Prevalence of HIV and Viral Hepatitis Markers among Healthcare Workers in the Republic of Guinea.

Healthcare workers are much more likely to be infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses compared to the general population. Although healthcare workers are more aware of HIV and hepatitis viruses, several countries in Africa lack a comprehensive grasp of disease routes and transmission risks. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of the serological and molecular biological markers of HIV and viral hepatitis among healthcare workers in the Republic of Guinea. The study material was 74 blood serum samples collected from healthcare workers who received additional training at the Institute of Applied Biological Research of Guinea (IRBAG, Kindia, Republic of Guinea). The markers examined included HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBs IgG, anti-HBcore IgG, anti-HCV qualitative determination, anti-HEV IgM and IgG, anti-HAV IgM and IgG, and anti-HIV. For viral DNA and RNA detection, nucleic acids were extracted from blood serum, and viral presence was inferred using real-time PCR with hybridization fluorescence detection. A high prevalence of viral hepatitis B markers was shown, and significantly fewer cases of viral hepatitis C and HIV were detected. Almost all examined medical workers had anti-HAV IgG antibodies, but no antibodies to hepatitis E virus. Apparently, the identified markers depend on the general prevalence of certain pathogens in the region and are associated with the traditions and characteristics of the country's residents.

Prevalence of drug resistant HIV-1 forms in patients without any history of antiretroviral therapy in the Republic of Guinea.

To study the structure of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 drug resistance (DR) in patients with newly diagnosed infection. Residents of the Republic of Guinea (N = 2168) were tested for HIV using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Individuals with a positive result were further examined for the presence of viral load in blood plasma. HIV was analyzed using Sanger sequencing. The obtained sequences were genotyped using REGA (version 3.0) and analyzed in MEGA 7. Analysis for the presence of DR mutations was performed using the Stanford University HIV DR Database. Serological markers of HIV were detected in 239 people, which represents 11.02% of the entire sample. HIV RNA was detected in 58 people. The following subtypes were seen: HIV CRF02_AG (41.9%); A1 (29.1%); A3 (12.9%); URF A1_G (12.9%); and G (3.2%). In 25% of patients, at least one significant mutation was encountered leading directly to HIV DR. The mutations encountered cause resistance to NRTI and NNRTI; one case of multiple resistance was identified. Major resistance to protease inhibitor was not seen. The detection of HIV-1 mutations associated with DR, in individuals who have never received antiretroviral therapy, is a cause for concern. It suggests that: new infections are occurring with strains that already have resistance; and the expansion of resistance is not always directly associated with selective drug pressure. Among the likely reasons for the high prevalence of primary HIV DR in the Republic of Guinea, drug availability is probably the key. The consequence of this is the lack of adherence of patients to treatment, the formation and transmission of resistant variants of the virus in the population. These findings suggest the need to test patients for resistant virus variants before initiating treatment.

Detection of Patient HIV-1 Drug Resistance Mutations in Russia's Northwestern Federal District in Patients with Treatment Failure.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is currently a combination of three (less frequently four) antiretroviral drugs; these target pathways involved in various stages of HIV replication in the body. Treatment failure is a problem facing doctors and patients using HAART. The most common cause of therapeutic failure is the development of HIV drug resistance. The emergence of resistance is associated with processes involving mutation occurring in the viral genome under the influence of evolutionary factors. Sequencing reactions were performed using the AmpliSens HIV Resist-Seq. Assembly of consensus sequences from fragments obtained during sequencing was carried out using Unipro UGENE softwar. Isolate genotyping was performed using the MEGA-X software with the Neighbor-joining algorithm. According to the analysis, 72.05% of patients had at least one significant mutation associated with drug resistance for the corresponding viral subtype. HIV-1 A6 remains the predominant HIV-1 genetic variant in Russia's Northwestern Federal District. Among samples with drug resistance mutations, in all cases, mutations associated with pharmacological resistance to two or three drug groups were found. Given the high incidence of resistance mutations in patients on ineffective ART, surveillance of HIV-1 drug resistance, in both ART-receiving and ART-naive individuals, appears necessary. A lack of vigilance and control measures may lead to the spread of primary ART-resistant HIV strains.