Low-frequency HIV-1 drug resistance mutations in antiretroviral naïve individuals in Botswana.

Background: Individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who experience virological failure (VF) after combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation may have had low-frequency drug resistance mutations (DRMs) at cART initiation. There are no data on low-frequency DRMs among cART-naïve HIV-positive individuals in Botswana.

Methods: We evaluated the prevalence of low-frequency DRMs among cART-naïve individuals previously sequenced using Sanger sequencing.

In Silico Prediction of Human Leukocytes Antigen (HLA) Class II Binding Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Peptides in Botswana.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the primary cause of liver-related malignancies worldwide, and there is no effective cure for chronic HBV infection (CHB) currently. Strong immunological responses induced by T cells are associated with HBV clearance during acute infection; however, the repertoire of epitopes () presented by major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs) to elicit these responses in various African populations is not well understood. In silico approaches were used to map and investigate 15-mers HBV peptides restricted to 9 HLA class II alleles with high population coverage in Botswana.

Immune Phenotype and Functionality of Specific T-Cells in HIV/TB Co-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Treatment.

The performance of host blood-based biomarkers for tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) has not been fully assessed. We evaluated the immune phenotype and functionality of antigen-specific T-cell responses in HIV positive (+) participants with TB (n = 12) compared to HIV negative (-) participants with either TB (n = 9) or latent TB infection (LTBI) (n = 9). We show that the cytokine profile of Mtb-specific CD4+ T-cells in participants with TB, regardless of HIV status, was predominantly single IFN-γ or dual IFN-γ/ TNFα.

High incidence of tuberculosis in the first year of antiretroviral therapy in the Botswana National antiretroviral therapy programme between 2011 and 2015.

Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity among people living with HIV. We sought to estimate the incidence of TB in a national database of HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Botswana.

Design: A retrospective analysis of HIV-infected adult patients (≥18years) who initiated ART between 2011 and 2015 in the Botswana ART program.

Comparison of an in-house 'home-brew' and commercial ViroSeq integrase genotyping assays on HIV-1 subtype C samples.

Background: Roll-out of Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTIs) such as dolutegravir for HIV combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in sub-Saharan Africa necessitates the development of affordable HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) assays targeting the Integrase gene. We optimised and evaluated an in-house integrase HIV-1 drug resistance assay (IH-Int) and compared it to a commercially available assay, ViroSeq™ Integrase Genotyping kit (VS-Int) amongst HIV-1 clade C infected individuals.

Methods: We used 54 plasma samples from treatment naïve participants and one plasma sample from a patient failing INSTI based cART.

Molecular characterization of hepatitis C virus in liver disease patients in Botswana: a retrospective cross-sectional study.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of chronic liver disease globally. Direct acting antivirals (DAAs) have proven effective in curing HCV. However, the current standard of care (SOC) in Botswana remains PEGylated interferon-α (IFN-α) with ribavirin.

Molecular characterization of hepatitis B virus in blood donors in Botswana.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) poses a significant threat to blood transfusion safety in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where allogeneic blood donations are screened serologically, and more sensitive nucleic acid tests (NATs) are utilized infrequently. HBV strains circulating among blood donors in Botswana are not yet characterized. We designed a cross-sectional study to determine the HBV sub-genotypes and prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) among blood donors between November 2014 and October 2015.

Molecular Characterization of Near Full-Length Genomes of Hepatitis B Virus Isolated from Predominantly HIV Infected Individuals in Botswana.

The World Health Organization plans to eliminate hepatitis B and C Infections by 2030. Therefore, there is a need to study and understand hepatitis B virus (HBV) epidemiology and viral evolution further, including evaluating occult (HBsAg-negative) HBV infection (OBI), given that such infections are frequently undiagnosed and rarely treated. We aimed to molecularly characterize HBV genomes from 108 individuals co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or OBI identified from previous HIV studies conducted in Botswana from 2009 to 2012.

In Silico Analysis of Hepatitis B Virus Occult Associated Mutations in Botswana Using a Novel Algorithm.

Occult hepatitis B infections (OBI) represent a reservoir of undiagnosed and untreated hepatitis B virus (HBV), hence the need to identify mutations that lead to this phenotype. Functionally characterizing these mutations by in vitro studies is time-consuming and expensive. To bridge this gap, in silico approaches, which predict the effect of amino acid (aa) variants on HBV protein function, are necessary.

Correction: Immunological non-response and low hemoglobin levels are predictors of incident tuberculosis among HIV-infected individuals on Truvada-based therapy in Botswana.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Chronic and Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Pregnant Women in Botswana.

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a global problem; however, the burden of HBV infection in pregnant women in Botswana is unknown. We sought to determine the prevalence of chronic and occult HBV infection in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and -uninfected pregnant women in Botswana. Samples from 752 pregnant women were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and HBsAg-positive samples were tested for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and HBV DNA load.

Immunological non-response and low hemoglobin levels are predictors of incident tuberculosis among HIV-infected individuals on Truvada-based therapy in Botswana.

Background: There is a high burden of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV antiretroviral programmes in Africa. However, few studies have looked at predictors of incident TB while on Truvada-based combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) regimens.

Methods: We estimated TB incidence among individuals enrolled into an observational cohort evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of Truvada-based cART in Gaborone, Botswana between 2008 and 2011.

Point-of-Care Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 Viral Load Test in Rural African Communities Is Feasible and Reliable.

Routine monitoring of HIV-1 RNA or viral load (VL) in patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is important, but there are multiple impediments to VL testing in resource-constrained settings. An accurate point-of-care (POC) HIV-1 VL test could alleviate many of these challenges. We compared the performance of the Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 VL assay against the laboratory-based Abbott m2000sp/m2000rt assay (Abbott assay).

Prognostic Value of HIV-1 RNA on CD4 Trajectories and Disease Progression Among Antiretroviral-Naive HIV-Infected Adults in Botswana: A Joint Modeling Analysis.

Although HIV-1 RNA levels are measured at the time of initial diagnosis, the results are not used for the clinical follow-up of the patients. This study evaluates the prognostic value of the baseline HIV-1 RNA levels (above or below 10,000 copies/ml) on rate of disease progression, among antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive patients in Botswana. A prospective cohort of 436 HIV-infected ART-naive adults with baseline CD4 > 400 cells/mm(3) were followed quarterly for 5 years in an urban clinic in Botswana.

Identification of amino acid substitutions associated with neutralization phenotype in the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 subtype C gp120.

Neutralizing antibodies (Nabs) are thought to play an important role in prevention and control of HIV-1 infection and should be targeted by an AIDS vaccine. It is critical to understand how HIV-1 induces Nabs by analyzing viral sequences in both tested viruses and sera. Neutralization susceptibility to antibodies in autologous and heterologous plasma was determined for multiple Envs (3-6) from each of 15 subtype-C-infected individuals.

High throughput functional analysis of HIV-1 env genes without cloning.

Functional human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) env genes have been widely used for vaccine design, neutralization assays, and pathogenesis studies. However, obtaining bona fide functional env clones is a time consuming and labor intensive process. A new high throughput method has been developed to characterize HIV-1 env genes.

HIV risk in relation to marriage in areas with high prevalence of HIV infection.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the prevalence of HIV infection among young women is much higher than that among young men. Many women enter marriage HIV-infected, suggesting that men may be predominantly infected by their wives. Using data from cross-sectional surveys in Kisumu, Kenya, and Ndola, Zambia, in 1997, the prevalence of HIV infection at marriage was estimated from age at marriage and age- and sex-specific prevalence of HIV infection among unmarried individuals.