Prospective Laboratory Evaluation of the cobas Plasma Separation Card for HIV and Treponema pallidum Antibody Analysis.

Background: The cobas Plasma Separation Card (PSC; Roche Diagnostics) was developed for HIV viral load testing. This study evaluates the performance of HIV and Treponema pallidum (Tp) antibody (Ab) detection on PSCs as an alternative to dried blood spots (DBSs).

Methods: EDTA whole blood samples were collected from HIV-positive (n = 100), HIV-negative (n = 50), Tp-positive (n = 100), and Tp-negative patients (n = 50) and spotted on DBS and PSC.

Towards Novel HIV-1 Serodiagnostic Tests without Vaccine-Induced Seroreactivity.

Vaccine-induced seroreactivity/positivity (VISR/P) poses a significant and common challenge to HIV vaccine implementation, as up to 95% of vaccine recipients may be misclassified as having HIV infection by current HIV screening and confirmatory serological assays. We investigated whether internal HIV proteins could be used to overcome VISR and discovered a set of 4 antigens (gp41 endodomain, p31 integrase, p17 matrix protein, and Nef) that are recognized by antibodies produced in individuals with HIV infection but not in vaccinated individuals. When evaluated in a multiplex double-antigen bridging ELISA, this antigen combination had specificities of 98.

Presymptomatic viral shedding in high-risk mpox contacts: A prospective cohort study.

The risk of infection after exposure to clade IIb mpox virus (MPXV) is unknown, and potential presymptomatic shedding of MPXV remains to be demonstrated. High-risk contacts of mpox patients were followed-up in a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Individuals reporting sexual contact, >15 min skin-to-skin contact, or living in the same household with an mpox patient were recruited in a sexual health clinic in Antwerp, Belgium.

Alternative sampling specimens for the molecular detection of mpox (formerly monkeypox) virus.

Background: Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is a viral disease caused by the mpox virus (MPXV), endemic in Central and West Africa and currently causing a global outbreak of international concern. Much remains unknown about sample types most suited for mpox laboratory diagnosis. While it is established that high viral loads can be found in active skin lesions (currently the recommended mpox laboratory confirmation specimen type), WHO mpox testing guidelines encourage the use of oropharyngeal swabs as an additional sample type for mpox diagnosis and suggest investigating the value of other specimens like blood samples.

Retrospective detection of asymptomatic monkeypox virus infections among male sexual health clinic attendees in Belgium.

The magnitude of the 2022 multi-country monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak has surpassed any preceding outbreak. It is unclear whether asymptomatic or otherwise undiagnosed infections are fuelling this epidemic. In this study, we aimed to assess whether undiagnosed infections occurred among men attending a Belgian sexual health clinic in May 2022.

Prevalence and Evolution of Transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus Drug Resistance in Belgium Between 2013 and 2019.

Background: To assess the prevalence and evolution of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in Belgium, a total of 3708 baseline human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 sequences from patients diagnosed between 2013 and 2019 were analyzed.

Methods: Protease and reverse-transcriptase HIV-1 sequences were collected from the 7 national Aids Reference Laboratories. Subtype determination and drug resistance scoring were performed using the Stanford HIV Drug Resistance Database.

COVID-19 Antibody Detecting Rapid Diagnostic Tests Show High Cross-Reactivity When Challenged with Pre-Pandemic Malaria, Schistosomiasis and Dengue Samples.

COVID-19 Antibody Detecting Rapid Diagnostic Tests (COVID-19 Ab RDTs) are the preferred tool for SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. The present study challenged COVID-19 Ab RDTs with pre-pandemic samples of patients exposed to tropical pathogens. A retrospective study was performed on archived serum ( = 94) and EDTA whole blood ( = 126) samples obtained during 2010-2018 from 196 travelers with malaria ( = 170), schistosomiasis ( = 25) and dengue ( = 25).

Sensitivity and specificity of rapid hepatitis C antibody assays in freshly collected whole blood, plasma and serum samples: A multicentre prospective study.

Background: This study evaluated performance of two hepatitis C virus (HCV) rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) performed by intended users in resource-limited settings.

Methods: Testing was conducted at three facilities in two countries (Georgia, Cambodia) using matched fingerstick whole blood, plasma and serum samples. Investigational RDTs were compared with a composite reference standard (CRS) comprised of three laboratory tests, and a reference RDT.

MSH2 knock-down shows CTG repeat stability and concomitant upstream demethylation at the DMPK locus in myotonic dystrophy type 1 human embryonic stem cells.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is caused by expansion of a CTG repeat in the DMPK gene, where expansion size and somatic mosaicism correlates with disease severity and age of onset. While it is known that the mismatch repair protein MSH2 contributes to the unstable nature of the repeat, its role on other disease-related features, such as CpG methylation upstream of the repeat, is unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of an MSH2 knock-down (MSH2KD) on both CTG repeat dynamics and CpG methylation pattern in human embryonic stem cells (hESC) carrying the DM1 mutation.

Sensitivity and Specificity of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Hepatitis C Virus With or Without HIV Coinfection: A Multicentre Laboratory Evaluation Study.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening is critical to HCV elimination efforts. Simplified diagnostics are required for low-resource settings and difficult-to-reach populations. This retrospective study assessed performance of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for detection of HCV antibodies.

High frequency of new recombinant forms in HIV-1 transmission networks demonstrated by full genome sequencing.

The HIV-1 epidemic in Belgium is primarily driven by MSM. In this patient population subtype B predominates but an increasing presence of non-B subtypes has been reported. We aimed to define to what extent the increasing subtype heterogeneity in a high at risk population induces the formation and spread of new recombinant forms.

Exploring HIV-1 Transmission Dynamics by Combining Phylogenetic Analysis and Infection Timing.

HIV-1 sequences obtained through baseline drug resistance testing of patients newly diagnosed between 2013 and 2017 were analyzed for genetic similarity. For 927 patients the information on genetic similarity was combined with demographic data and with information on the recency of infection. Overall, 48.