Superior Effectiveness of Zidovudine Compared With Tenofovir When Combined With Nevirapine-based Antiretroviral Therapy in a Large Nigerian Cohort.

Background: Despite sparse efficacy data, tenofovir-emtricitabine or tenofovir-lamivudine plus nevirapine is used in many resource-constrained settings.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients initiating nevirapine-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) with either tenofovir-emtricitabine or lamivudine (tenofovir group) or zidovudine-lamivudine (zidovudine group). Clinical, virologic, and immunologic evaluations were performed at baseline and every 6 months.

Potential for false-positive HIV test results using rapid HIV testing algorithms.

Background: In order to scale up access to HIV counselling and testing in Nigeria, an HIV diagnostic algorithm based on rapid testing was adopted. However, there was the need to further evaluate the testing strategy in order to better assess its performance, because of the potential for false positivity.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare positive HIV test results obtained from the approved rapid testing algorithm with results from western blot tests performed on samples from the same patient.

Comparison of the COBAS/Ampliprep Taqman and Amplicor HIV-1 monitor tests in Lagos, Nigeria.

Background: The use of real-time Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology options is increasing in resource-limited settings because they are faster, improve assay sensitivity, have higher throughput, larger dynamic ranges and reduced rates of contamination. In 2010, UNAIDS ranked Nigeria as the second highest population of people living with HIV and AIDS (2.98 million people) in the world.

Immunologic criteria are poor predictors of virologic outcome: implications for HIV treatment monitoring in resource-limited settings.

Background: Viral load (VL) quantification is considered essential for determining antiretroviral treatment (ART) success in resource-rich countries. However, it is not widely available in resource-limited settings where the burden of human immunodeficiency virus infection is greatest. In the absence of VL monitoring, switches to second-line ART are based on World Health Organization (WHO) clinical or immunologic failure criteria.

Haematological and biochemical response to treatment of HIV-1 infection with a combination of nevirapine + stavudine + lamivudine in Lagos Nigeria.

To evaluate the effect of a combination of nevirapine + stavudine + lamivudine on Haematological and Biochemical values of HIV-1 positive patients in Lagos. Fifty patients who met the enrollment criteria for accelerated clinical trial were studied. Ten millimeters of blood was taken from each patient at first visit for basic haematological and biochemical values.