Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors have no effect on hepatitis C virus (HCV) serum levels of HIV-HCV co-infected patients.

Ten severely immunocompromised HIV-HCV co-infected patients were enrolled in a quantifiable HCV-RNA assay. Serum alanine aminotransferase, HCV-RNA levels and HIV viral loads were determined at baseline, at month three and at month six after initiation of a highly active antiretroviral therapy including an HIV protease inhibitor. HCV genotypes were determined using a line probe assay kit.

Comparison of clarithromycin-sensitive and clarithromycin-resistant Mycobacterium avium strains isolated from AIDS patients during therapy regimens including clarithromycin.

Objectives: Sixteen Mycobacterium avium strains were isolated from the blood of eight AIDS patients over a period of months. All the patients were on combination therapies including clarithromycin, and all had treatment failure and relapses of M.avium bacteremia.

Lack of resistance to erythromycin, rifampicin and ciprofloxacin in 98 clinical isolates of Legionella pneumophila.

Ninety-eight consecutive clinical isolates of Legionella pneumophila were tested for erythromycin, rifampicin and ciprofloxacin susceptibility. MICs, determined by agar dilution testing, were in the range 0.06-1 mg/L of erythromycin, 0.

Evaluation of the Etest for rapid susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium avium to clarithromycin.

MICs of clarithromycin were determined by the Etest method for thirty clinical strains of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and compared with MICs results as determined by the reference agar dilution method. Agreement (within +/- 1 log2 dilution) between the Etest and the reference method was 70% for susceptible strains and 100% for resistant strains. No major errors resulting in misclassification in susceptibility or resistance categories were detected for the Etest MIC method.

Autoimmunity and normal immune functions in aged humans.

The high frequency of ANA, A-LDL and RF in advanced age suggests that AABs are present in the majority of aged subjects. CIC incidence determined by three methods is far below AAB incidence; only the Clq solubility test suggests an increased CIC incidence in aged as compared to young subjects. Simultaneous occurrence of AABs of different specificities or CIC determined by two or three methods is rare and both AAB and CIC levels are usually low.