Confronting the human papillomavirus-HIV intersection: Cervical cytology implications for Kenyan women living with HIV.

Background: High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) is the primary cause of cervical cancer, leading to over 311 000 global deaths, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. Kenyan women living with HIV (WLHIV) face a disproportionate burden of HR-HPV.

Objectives: We determined the prevalence of HR-HPV infections and their association with cervical cytology findings among Kenyan WLHIV.

Chemokine Coreceptor-2 Gene Polymorphisms among HIV-1 Infected Individuals in Kenya.

Chemokine Coreceptor-2 (CCR2) is an entry coreceptor for HIV-1. A mutation in the coding gene for this coreceptor, CCR2-64I, has been shown to be an important factor for delaying disease progression. In Kenya no studies have been done to determine the status of CCR2 gene polymorphisms among HIV-1 infected individuals.

Establishment and evaluation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the semi-quantitative detection of HIV-1 group M virus.

The past decade has witnessed a dramatic increase of anti-retroviral treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients in many African countries. Due to costs and lack of currently available commercial viral load assays, insufficient attention has been paid to therapy monitoring through measurement of plasma viral load. This challenge of patient monitoring by tests as viral load, CD4 cell count, and finally HIV drug resistance could reverse achievements already made against HIV/AIDS infection.

Switch from 200 to 350 CD4 baseline count: what it means to HIV care and treatment programs in Kenya.

Introduction: With the increasing population of infected individuals in Africa and constrained resources for care and treatment, antiretroviral management continues to be an important public health challenge. Since the announcement of World Health Organization recommendation and guidelines for initiation of antiretroviral Treatment at CD4 count below 350, many developing countries are adopting this strategy in their country specific guidelines to care and treatment of HIV and AIDS. Despite the benefits to these recommendations, what does this switch from 200 to 350 CD4 count mean in antiretroviral treatment demand?

Methods: A Multi-centre study involving 1376 patients in health care settings in Kenya.

Discrepant test findings in early infant diagnosis of HIV in a national reference laboratory in Kenya: challenges and opportunities for programs.

Background: In Kenya, the availability of a cheap diagnostic service for HIV-exposed infants has helped scale-up access to treatment, and provided a means by which programs that support Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV can be evaluated. As expected for any large testing program, discrepant and indeterminate results present a significant challenge.

Methods: Dried Blood Spots were collected from health centers countrywide and couriered to four laboratories for tests.