Performance of two plasma separation devices for HIV-1 viral load measurement in primary healthcare settings.

Burnett and HemaSpot are two novel technologies that allow whole blood collection and plasma separation and stabilization at room temperature without the need of additional equipment. Hence, these devices are potential alternatives to fresh plasma as a suitable specimen for viral load scale-up to monitor antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings.

Stability of HIV-1 Nucleic Acids in cobas Plasma Separation Card for Viral Load Measurement.

Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the stability of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) RNA on cobas plasma separation card (PSC) specimens for viral load (VL) testing after being exposed to varied temperatures and storage times.

Methods: For this purpose, venous PSC specimens were collected and stored at 25ºC to 42ºC for a period of up to 28 days. Plasma VL at baseline was used as reference, against which PSC VL was compared at different time points.

Performance of a True Point-of-Care Assay for HIV-1/2 Viral Load Measurement at Antenatal and Postpartum Services.

Background: Timely viral load (VL) results during pregnancy and the postpartum period are crucial for HIV disease management and for preventing mother-to-child transmission. Point-of-care (POC) VL testing could reduce turnaround times and streamline patient management. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of the novel m-PIMA HIV-1/2 VL assay (Abbott, Chicago, IL) in Mozambique.

Accurate HIV viral load measurement in primary health care settings using the cobas® plasma separation card.

Introduction: Plasma is considered the gold standard for HIV viral load (VL) testing, however its use is challenging due to the need for phlebotomy and centrifugation services, as well as cold chain for transporting to laboratories for testing. The use of Dried Blood Spot (DBS) specimen has allowed a rapid expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART) monitoring in remote areas in many African countries, however, the VL in DBS may overestimate the copies of viral RNA result at the clinically relevant range of 1000 copies/ml, due to proviral DNA and intracellular RNA. The characteristics of the cobas® Plasma Separation Card (PSC) specimen are similar to fresh plasma (gold standard), so a better performance of HIV VL is expetected in PSC specimen and can be an alternative to DBS.

Viral load assay performs comparably to early infant diagnosis assay to diagnose infants with HIV in Mozambique: a prospective observational study.

Introduction: Viral load testing is essential to manage HIV disease, especially in infants and children. Early infant diagnosis is performed using nucleic-acid testing in children under 18 months. Resource-limited health systems face severe challenges to scale-up both viral load and early infant diagnosis to unprecedented levels.

High frequency of HBV in HIV-infected prisoners in Mozambique.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) among 448 HIV-infected prisoners from 32 prisons in Mozambique.

Design/methodology/approach: All HIV seropositive prisoners were screened for HBV.

Findings: Of the 448 HIV seropositive prisoners, 51 (11.

First description of HTLV-1/2 seroprevalence in HIV-infected inmates in Mozambique.

No study has yet been conducted to estimate the burden of co-infection of HIV and HTLV-1/2 in inmates in sub-Saharan Africa. To investigate prevalence of co-infection in inmates in Mozambique, a total of 2140 inmates were screened for HIV, of which 515 were HIV seropositive. All HIV seropositive inmates were further screened for HTLV infection, and eight (1.