Validation of dried blood spots samples for the screening of hepatitis B virus surface by enzyme immunoassay method.

Dried Blood Spots (DBS) are blood collection carriers that facilitate the storage and transport of samples. Used for quality control during sero-epidemiological investigations, DBS eluate are not the conventional specimen indicated by manufacturers for enzyme immunoassay method (EIA) for hepatitis B virus surface (HBs antigen). The aim of our study was to evaluate DBS eluates used as a matrix for EIA of HBs antigen in a reference laboratory.

Plasma sVCAM-1, antiretroviral therapy and mortality in HIV-1-infected West African adults.

Objectives: We report the association between pre-antiretroviral therapy (pre-ART) soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) levels and long-term mortality in HIV-infected West African adults participating in a trial of early ART in West Africa (Temprano ANRS 12136 trial).

Methods: The ART-naïve HIV-infected adults were randomly assigned to start ART immediately or defer ART until the WHO criteria were met. Participants who completed the trial follow-up were invited to participate in a post-trial phase (PTP).

Association of Plasma Soluble Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 and sCD14 With Mortality in HIV-1-Infected West African Adults With High CD4 Counts.

Background: Several biomarkers of inflammation and coagulation were reported to be associated with HIV disease progression in different settings. In this article, we report the association between 11 biomarkers and medium-term mortality in HIV-infected West African adults.

Methods: In Temprano ANRS 12136, antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive HIV-infected adults with high CD4 counts were randomly assigned either to start ART immediately or defer ART until the World Health Organization criteria were met.

Evaluation of Four Rapid Tests for Detection of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen in Ivory Coast.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of liver disease worldwide. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) could be an ideal tool for a large-scale HBV screening in settings with high endemicity but limited infrastructure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnosis performance of such RDTs for screening HBV infection in Ivory Coast.

Evaluation of two (02) platforms for chemiluminescence-based detection of anti-rubella IgG antibodies in a sub-Saharan country, Côte d'Ivoire.

The diagnosis of rubella is mainly made in pregnant women and the newborn by specific IgG and/or IgM detection. In addition to HAI and ELISA techniques, new immunoanalytical methods have been developed. This study aimed to evaluate two chemiluminescence platforms, Architect i2000SR and Maglumi 800 for rubella biological diagnosis in Côte d'Ivoire.

Effect of isoniazid preventive therapy on risk of death in west African, HIV-infected adults with high CD4 cell counts: long-term follow-up of the Temprano ANRS 12136 trial.

Background: Temprano ANRS 12136 was a factorial 2 × 2 trial that assessed the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART; ie, in patients who had not reached the CD4 cell count threshold used to recommend starting ART, as per the WHO guidelines that were the standard during the study period) and 6-month isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) in HIV-infected adults in Côte d'Ivoire. Early ART and IPT were shown to independently reduce the risk of severe morbidity at 30 months. Here, we present the efficacy of IPT in reducing mortality from the long-term follow-up of Temprano.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with HIV and tuberculosis in people who use drugs in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Background: The number of people who use drugs (PWUD) has dramatically increased in West Africa over the last 15 years, but targeted interventions are falling behind, notably because of the lack of awareness of the health needs of PWUD. We aimed to assess prevalence and factors associated with HIV and other infections in PWUD in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, one of the countries most affected by HIV in Western Africa.

Methods: We used respondent-driven-sampling to obtain a representative sample of heroin or cocaine/crack users aged 18 years or more.

A Trial of Early Antiretrovirals and Isoniazid Preventive Therapy in Africa.

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated tuberculosis is high. We conducted a trial with a 2-by-2 factorial design to assess the benefits of early antiretroviral therapy (ART), 6-month isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT), or both among HIV-infected adults with high CD4+ cell counts in Ivory Coast.

Methods: We included participants who had HIV type 1 infection and a CD4+ count of less than 800 cells per cubic millimeter and who met no criteria for starting ART according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

Quantiferon-TB Gold: performance for ruling out active tuberculosis in HIV-infected adults with high CD4 count in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa.

Objective: To assess the performance of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) test for active tuberculosis (TB) in HIV adults, and its variation over time in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and/or isoniazide preventive therapy (IPT).

Methods: Transversal study and cohort nested in the Temprano ANRS 12136 randomized controlled trial assessing benefits of initiating ART earlier than currently recommended by World Health Organization, with or without a 6-month IPT. Performance of QFT-GIT for detecting active TB at baseline in the first 50% participants, and 12-month incidence of conversion/reversion in the first 25% participants were assessed.

Re-testing and misclassification of HIV-2 and HIV-1&2 dually reactive patients among the HIV-2 cohort of the West African Database to evaluate AIDS collaboration.

Introduction: West Africa is characterized by the circulation of HIV-1 and HIV-2. The laboratory diagnosis of these two infections as well as the choice of a first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) is challenging, considering the limited access to second-line regimens. This study aimed at confirming the classification of HIV-2 and HIV-1&2 dually reactive patients followed up in the HIV-2 cohort of the West African Database to evaluate AIDS collaboration.

Interest in Determining the CD34+ CD38- Phenotype in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Acute Leukemia in Abidjan - Côte d'Ivoire.

Background: In Côte d'Ivoire, acute leukemias account for 12.5% of hematological malignancies. Acute leukemias are due to an anomaly of the stem cell characterized among other things by the expression of CD34(+) CD38(-) surface markers.

CD4 cell eligibility thresholds: an analysis of the time to antiretroviral treatment in HIV-1 seroconverters.

Background: WHO recommends initiating combination antiretroviral treatment at the minimal CD4 cell threshold of 350 cells/μl. In sub-Saharan Africa, the time for a recently infected patient to reach this threshold is unclear.

Method: We estimated the probability of reaching different CD4 cell thresholds over time in the ANRS 1220 cohort of HIV-1 seroconverters in Côte d'Ivoire.

Comparison of early CD4 T-cell count in HIV-1 seroconverters in Côte d'Ivoire and France: the ANRS PRIMO-CI and SEROCO cohorts.

Objective: We compared CD4+ decline among untreated HIV-1-infected seroconverters living in Côte d'Ivoire (CI) and in France.

Methods: HIV-1-infected adults were enrolled in the ANRS1220 PRIMO-CI (CI, 1997-2006) and ANRSCO2 SEROCO (France, 1988-1995) cohorts. CD4+ count and percentage declines were estimated from enrollment until 24 months of seroconversion by linear random-effect models adjusted for time since seroconversion, age, gender, cell-associated HIV DNA, HIV RNA, and country.

Medium-term probability of success of antiretroviral treatment after early warning signs of treatment failure in West African adults.

West African adults with warning signs of failure of antiretroviral treatment (ART) at 6 months were assessed for the probability and factors associated with success at 36 months. After 6 months on ART, patients were included if they had a bad immunologic response (BIR) (month 6 CD4 count < pre-ART CD4 count + 50/mm(3)), incomplete virologic suppression (IVS) (month 6 plasma HIV-1 RNA >300 copies/ml), or both (Dual). They were followed for 30 months after inclusion.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 elite neutralizers: individuals with broad and potent neutralizing activity identified by using a high-throughput neutralization assay together with an analytical selection algorithm.

The development of a rapid and efficient system to identify human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected individuals with broad and potent HIV-1-specific neutralizing antibody responses is an important step toward the discovery of critical neutralization targets for rational AIDS vaccine design. In this study, samples from HIV-1-infected volunteers from diverse epidemiological regions were screened for neutralization responses using pseudovirus panels composed of clades A, B, C, and D and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). Initially, 463 serum and plasma samples from Australia, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and Zambia were screened to explore neutralization patterns and selection ranking algorithms.

Anthropometric and immunological success of antiretroviral therapy and prediction of virological success in west African adults.

Objective: The 6 month assessment of the response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a critical step. In sub-Saharan Africa, few people have access to plasma viral-load measurement. We assessed the gain or loss in body mass index (BMI), alone or in combination with the gain or loss in CD4+ T-cell count (CD4), as a tool for predicting the response to ART.

CD4+ T-lymphocytes natural decrease in HAART-naïve HIV-infected adults in Abidjan.

Objective: To study the CD4 natural decrease and its determinants in sub-Saharan African HIV-infected adults.

Method: We performed a 7-year prospective cohort study, with biannual CD4 measurement. Follow-up was censored at the first severe morbidity event or at HAART initiation.

Morbidity before and after HAART initiation in Sub-Saharan African HIV-infected adults: a recurrent event analysis.

The incidence and determinants of severe morbidity recurrence in sub-Saharan African HIV-infected adults on antiretroviral therapy (ART) have never been reported. In a prospective cohort study of HIV-infected adults in Abidjan the association of severe morbidity occurrence and recurrence with follow-up CD4 counts and ART on/off status was analyzed by means of multivariate failure analysis for recurrent events (Prentice, Williams, and Peterson model). A total of 608 patients (median CD4 290/mm3 ) was followed off ART for 1824 person-years (PY).

Frequent occurrence of chronic hepatitis B virus infection among West African HIV type-1-infected children.

Background: The aim of this study, conducted in Ivory Coast, was to evaluate the prevalence and evolution of viral hepatitis in children coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).

Methods: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) markers were retrospectively and longitudinally assessed among 280 HIV-1-infected children enrolled in the Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le SIDA et les Hépatites Virales B et C 1244/1278 cohort. Among these, 173 (61.

Variation of CD4 count and percentage during pregnancy and after delivery: implications for HAART initiation in resource-limited settings.

We studied whether the use of T-lymphocyte CD4 (CD4) absolute count instead of CD4 percentage could affect the decision process regarding HAART initiation in African HIV-infected pregnant women. A prospective cohort in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire before HAART was available. Participating women received a perinatal antiretroviral prophylaxis (zidovudine + single-dose of nevirapine).

Long-term survival and immuno-virological response of African HIV-1-infected children to highly active antiretroviral therapy regimens.

Background: In Africa, facing the scaling-up of HAART, there is an urgent need to monitor accurately the long-term benefits of these lifelong treatments.

Methods: Survival and immuno-virological response were assessed for 78 children in the ANRS 1244/1278 Children's cohort (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) who were enrolled from October 2000 for treatment with HAART and followed to September 2004. Initial HAART consisted of two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with either nelfinavir (NFV) or efavirenz (EFV).

CD4 percentages and total lymphocyte counts as early surrogate markers for pediatric HIV-1 infection in resource-limited settings.

The early diagnosis of pediatric HIV-1 infection is a critical issue in resource-limited settings to prioritize eligibility for antiretroviral therapy among HIV-1-infected children. A case-control study was performed within the ANRS 1201/1202 Ditrame Plus cohort (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire) to assess the usefulness of CD4+ T-cell percentage (CD4%) and total lymphocyte count (TLC) measured early in life in African children born to HIV-1-infected mothers. Using plasma HIV-1 RNA testing at 4 weeks of life as gold standard, CD4% and TLC were determined at month 3 and 6 in all 33 children HIV-1-infected in utero or intrapartum/early postpartum (cases) born to mothers receiving peripartum antiretroviral prophylaxis.