The expanding role of co-trimoxazole in developing countries

Antibiotic treatment of acute gastroenteritis in children

Antibiotic therapy is not necessary for acute diarrhea in children, as rehydration is the key treatment and symptoms resolve generally without specific therapy. Searching for the etiology of gastroenteritis is not usually needed; however, it may be necessary if antimicrobial treatment is considered. The latter is left to the physician evaluation in the absence of clear indications. Antimicrobial treatment should be considered in severely sick children, in those who have chronic conditions or specific risk factors or in specific settings. Traveler’s diarrhea, prolonged diarrhea, and antibiotic-associated diarrhea may also require antibiotic therapy. Depending on the severity of symptoms or based on risk of spreading, empiric therapy may be started while awaiting the results of microbiological investigations. The choice of antibiotic depends on suspected agents, host conditions, and local epidemiology. In most cases, empiric therapy should be started while awaiting such results. Empiric therapy may be started with oral co-trimoxazole or metronidazole, but in severe cases parenteral treatment with ceftriaxone or ciprofloxacin might be considered.

Autoinducer2 affects trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole susceptibility in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli dependent on the folate synthesis-associate pathway

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes airsacculitis, polyserositis, septicemia, and other mainly extraintestinal diseases in chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, and other avian species, and is responsible for great economic losses in the avian industry. The autoinducer 2 (AI‐2) quorum sensing system is widely present in many species of gram‐negative and gram‐positive bacteria and has been proposed to be involved in interspecies communication. In clinical APEC strains, whether or not AI‐2 affects the expression of antibiotic‐related genes has not been reported. In this study, we have reported that exogenous AI‐2 increase the susceptibility of APEC strains to trimethoprim‐sulfamethoxazole (SXT) in a folate synthesis‐dependent pathway but not in the LsrR‐dependent manner. Our results further explained that exogenous AI‐2 can down regulate the transcription of the folate synthetase encoding genes folA and folC, and the folate synthesis‐related genes luxS, metE, and metH. Gel shift assays confirmed that LsrR, the AI‐2 receptor, did not bind to the promoters of folA and folC, suggesting that exogenous AI‐2 might influence folate metabolism by a feedback inhibition effect but not in the LsrR‐dependent pathway. This study might provide further information in the search for potential drug targets for prophylaxis of avian colibacillosis and for auxiliary antibiotics in the treatment of avian colibacillosis.

Bronchiectasis and other chronic lung diseases in adolescents living with HIV

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The incidence of pulmonary infections has declined dramatically with improved access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, but chronic lung disease (CLD) is an increasingly recognized but poorly understood complication in adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is a high prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms, abnormal spirometry and chest radiographic abnormalities among HIV-infected adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, wherein 90% of the world's HIV-infected children live. The incidence of lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis, the most common cause of CLD in the pre-ART era, has declined with increased ART access. Small airways disease, particularly constrictive obliterative bronchiolitis and bronchiectasis, are emerging as leading causes of CLD among HIV-infected adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries. Asthma may be more common in high-income settings. Likely risk factors for CLD include recurrent pulmonary infections, air pollution, HIV-related immune dysfunction, and untreated HIV infection, particularly during critical stages of lung development.

SUMMARY

Globally, the importance of HIV-associated CLD as a cause of morbidity and mortality is increasing, especially as survival has improved dramatically with ART and growing numbers of children living with HIV enter adolescence. Further research is urgently needed to elucidate the natural history and pathogenesis of CLD, and to determine optimal screening, diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Immune-Mediated Damage Completes the Parabola: Cryptococcus neoformans Pathogenesis Can Reflect the Outcome of a Weak or Strong Immune Response

Cryptococcosis occurs most frequently in immunocompromised individuals. This has led to the prevailing view that this disease is the result of weak immune responses that cannot control the fungus. However, increasingly, clinical and experimental studies have revealed that the host immune response can contribute to cryptococcal pathogenesis, including the recent study of L. M. Neal et al. (mBio 8:e01415-17, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01415-17) that reports that CD4⁺ T cells mediate tissue damage in experimental murine cryptococcosis. This finding has fundamental implications for our understanding of the pathogenesis of cryptococcal disease; it helps explain why immunotherapy has been largely unsuccessful in treatment and provides insight into the paradoxical observation that HIV-associated cryptococcosis may have a better prognosis than cryptococcosis in those with no known immune impairment. The demonstration that host-mediated damage can drive cryptococcal disease provides proof of concept that the parabola put forth in the damage-response framework has the flexibility to depict complex and changing outcomes of host-microbe interaction.

Fungal infections in HIV/AIDS

Fungi are major contributors to the opportunistic infections that affect patients with HIV/AIDS. Systemic infections are mainly with Pneumocystis jirovecii (pneumocystosis), Cryptococcus neoformans (cryptococcosis), Histoplasma capsulatum (histoplasmosis), and Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei (talaromycosis). The incidence of systemic fungal infections has decreased in people with HIV in high-income countries because of the widespread availability of antiretroviral drugs and early testing for HIV. However, in many areas with high HIV prevalence, patients present to care with advanced HIV infection and with a low CD4 cell count or re-present with persistent low CD4 cell counts because of poor adherence, resistance to antiretroviral drugs, or both. Affordable, rapid point-of-care diagnostic tests (as have been developed for cryptococcosis) are urgently needed for pneumocystosis, talaromycosis, and histoplasmosis. Additionally, antifungal drugs, including amphotericin B, liposomal amphotericin B, and flucytosine, need to be much more widely available. Such measures, together with continued international efforts in education and training in the management of fungal disease, have the potential to improve patient outcomes substantially.

Rectal microbiota among HIV-uninfected, untreated HIV, and treated HIV-infected in Nigeria

OBJECTIVE

Untreated advanced HIV infection alters the gut microbiota, but it is unclear whether antiretroviral therapy (ART) reverses these changes. We compared the composition of the rectal microbiota among three groups of men who have sex with men (MSM): HIV-uninfected, untreated HIV, and ART-treated HIV-infected.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 130 MSM (55 HIV-uninfected, 41 untreated HIV, and 34 ART-treated HIV) in Abuja, Nigeria.

METHODS

Bacterial 16S rRNA genes were amplified from rectal swabs, sequenced and clustered into Genera-level operational taxonomic units. Alpha diversity was quantified using the Shannon index and compared among groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test; associations with other scale variables were quantified using Spearman's rank correlation (Rs). The relative abundance of the top 15 taxa was compared according to HIV infection/treatment status using the Wilcoxon rank sum test.

RESULTS

HIV-treated MSM had a decrease in a commensal phylum, Bacteroidetes (P < 0.01). Alpha diversity was positively correlated with viral loads (Rs = 0.32, P < 0.01). Statistically significant shifts in relative abundance of rectal microbiota for the HIV-treated group included a decrease in the most abundant bacteria, Prevotella (P = 0.02) and an increase in pathogenic bacteria, Peptoniphilus (P = 0.04), Finegoldia (P = 0.01), Anaerococcus (P = 0.03), and Campylobacter (P = 0.03) compared with the other groups.

CONCLUSION

Untreated HIV infection does not significantly alter the rectal microbiota, whereas prior treatment is associated with a shift toward a more pathogenic pattern of microbiota. Treatment with an antibiotic, co-trimoxazole, in conjunction with ART may have contributed to this shift.

Reduced bacterial skin infections in HIV-infected African children randomized to long-term cotrimoxazole prophylaxis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether cotrimoxazole prophylaxis prevents common skin conditions in HIV-infected children.

DESIGN

Open-label randomized controlled trial of continuing versus stopping daily cotrimoxazole (post-hoc analysis).

SETTING

Three sites in Uganda and one in Zimbabwe.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 758 children aged more than 3 years receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for more than 96 weeks in the ARROW trial were randomized to stop (n = 382) or continue (n = 376) cotrimoxazole after median (interquartile range) 2.1(1.8, 2.2) years on ART.

INTERVENTION

Continuing versus stopping daily cotrimoxazole.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Nurses screened for signs/symptoms at 6-week visits. This was a secondary analysis of ARROW trial data, with skin complaints categorized blind to randomization as bacterial, fungal, or viral infections; dermatitis; pruritic papular eruptions (PPEs); or others (blisters, desquamation, ulcers, and urticaria). Proportions ever reporting each skin complaint were compared across randomized groups using logistic regression.

RESULTS

At randomization, median (interquartile range) age was 7 (4, 11) years and CD4 was 33% (26, 39); 73% had WHO stage 3/4 disease. Fewer children continuing cotrimoxazole reported bacterial skin infections over median 2 years follow-up (15 versus 33%, respectively; P < 0.001), with similar trends for PPE (P = 0.06) and other skin complaints (P = 0.11), but not for fungal (P = 0.45) or viral (P = 0.23) infections or dermatitis (P = 1.0). Bacterial skin infections were also reported at significantly fewer clinic visits (1.2 versus 3.0%, P < 0.001). Independent of cotrimoxazole, bacterial skin infections were more common in children aged 6-8 years, with current CD4 cell count less than 500 cells/μl, WHO stage 3/4, less time on ART, and lower socio-economic status.

CONCLUSION

Long-term cotrimoxazole prophylaxis reduces common skin complaints, highlighting an additional benefit for long-term prophylaxis in sub-Saharan Africa.

Assessing the Intestinal Microbiota in the SHINE Trial

Advances in DNA sequencing technology now allow us to explore the dynamics and functions of the microbes that inhabit the human body, the microbiota. Recent studies involving experimental animal models suggest a role of the gut microbiota in growth. However, the specific changes in the human gut microbiota that contribute to growth remain unclear, and studies investigating the gut microbiota as a determinant of environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) and child stunting are lacking. In this article, we review the evidence for a link between the developing infant gut microbiota, infant feeding, EED, and stunting, and discuss the potential causal pathways relating these variables. We outline the analytic approaches we will use to investigate these relationships, by capitalizing on the longitudinal design and randomized interventions of the Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy trial in Zimbabwe.

Influence of geographic origin, sex, and HIV transmission group on the outcome of first-line combined antiretroviral therapy in France

BACKGROUND

More data are needed on the influence of geographic origin, sex, and the HIV transmission group on biological and clinical outcomes after first-line combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) initiation.

METHODS

We studied antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected adults enrolled in the French Hospital Database on HIV cohort in France and who started cART between 2006 and 2011. The censoring date of the study was 31 December 2012. According to geographic origin [French natives (FRA) or sub-Saharan Africa/non-French West Indies (SSA/NFW)], sex, and HIV transmission group, we assessed 2-year Kaplan-Meier probabilities and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for plasma viral load undetectability and CD4 cell recovery, and 5-year cumulative incidences and aHRs for negative clinical outcomes (AIDS-defining event, serious non-AIDS events, or death).

RESULTS

Of 9746 eligible individuals, 7297 (74.9%) were FRA and 2449 (25.1%) were sub-Saharan Africa/non-French West Indies migrants. More migrants (38.1%) than nonmigrants (27.5%) started cART with a CD4 cell count less than 200/μl (P < 0.0001). By comparison with FRA MSM, nonhomosexual men, whatever their geographic origin, had lower aHRs for viral undetectability; all patient groups, particularly migrants, had lower aHRs for CD4 cell recovery than FRA MSM; aHRs for negative clinical outcome (360 new AIDS-defining events, 1376 serious non-AIDS events, 38 deaths) were also higher in nonhomosexual men, regardless of geographic origin. Preexisting AIDS status, a lower CD4 cell count and older age at cART initiation had the biggest impact on changes between the crude and aHRs of clinical outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Compared with FRA MSM, all migrants had a lower likelihood of CD4 cell recovery, and nonhomosexual men had a higher likelihood of negative virological and clinical outcomes.

Allergy to antibiotics in children: an overestimated problem

Antibiotics are the most prescribed drugs for children, and a relevant number of prescriptions are associated with the emergence of adverse events. Allergic reactions are the most frequently reported adverse events, with an incidence of up to 10% of all prescriptions. However, literature analysis has shown that allergy to antibiotics is generally overdiagnosed in children because in most cases the diagnosis is based only on the clinical history without a full allergy work-up. Consequently, children are often improperly deprived of narrow-spectrum antibiotics because of a suspected allergy to these drugs. β-Lactams, mainly penicillins, are more frequently involved as a cause of allergy to antibiotics, although allergic problems are reported for most of the antibiotic classes. Accurate diagnosis is essential for a precise definition of determination of allergy to a given drug. Diagnosis has to be based on history, laboratory tests and, when possible, on in vitro and drug provocation tests. Unfortunately, the allergological work-up is well structured only for β-lactam antibiotics, whereas for non-β-lactams few studies are available, with very limited experience in children. The main aim of this paper is to discuss the real relevance of allergy to antibiotics in children in order to provide physicians with the knowledge needed to establish an appropriate diagnostic allergy work-up and to make better use of antibiotic therapy.

Early Height and Weight Changes in Children Using Cotrimoxazole Prophylaxis With Antiretroviral Therapy

BACKGROUND

The growth benefits of cotrimoxazole during early antiretroviral therapy (ART) are not well characterized.

METHODS

Individuals enrolled in the Therapeutics Research, Education, and AIDS Training in Asia Pediatric HIV Observational Database were included if they started ART at ages 1 month-14 years and had both height and weight measurements available at ART initiation (baseline). Generalized estimating equations were used to identify factors associated with change in height-for-age z-score (HAZ), follow-up HAZ ≥ -2, change in weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), and follow-up WAZ ≥ -2.

RESULTS

A total of 3217 children were eligible for analysis. The adjusted mean change in HAZ among cotrimoxazole and non-cotrimoxazole users did not differ significantly over the first 24 months of ART. In children who were stunted (HAZ < -2) at baseline, cotrimoxazole use was not associated with a follow-up HAZ ≥ -2. The adjusted mean change in WAZ among children with a baseline CD4 percentage (CD4%) >25% became significantly different between cotrimoxazole and non-cotrimoxazole users after 6 months of ART and remained significant after 24 months (overall P < .01). Similar changes in WAZ were observed in those with a baseline CD4% between 10% and 24% (overall P < .01). Cotrimoxazole use was not associated with a significant difference in follow-up WAZ in children with a baseline CD4% <10%. In those underweight (WAZ < -2) at baseline, cotrimoxazole use was associated with a follow-up WAZ ≥ -2 (adjusted odds ratio, 1.70 vs not using cotrimoxazole [95% confidence interval, 1.28-2.25], P < .01). This association was driven by children with a baseline CD4% ≥10%.

CONCLUSIONS

Cotrimoxazole use is associated with benefits to WAZ but not HAZ during early ART in Asian children.

HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants Show Robust Memory B-Cell Responses in Spite of a Delayed Accumulation of Memory B Cells: an Observational Study in the First 2 Years of Life

Improved HIV care has led to an increase in the number of HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants born to HIV-infected women. Although they are uninfected, these infants experience increased morbidity and mortality. One explanation may be that their developing immune system is altered by HIV exposure, predisposing them to increased postnatal infections. We explored the impact of HIV exposure on the B-cell compartment by determining the B-cell subset distribution, the frequency of common vaccine antigen-specific memory B cells (MBCs), and the levels of antibodies to the respective antigens in HEU and HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) infants born to uninfected mothers, using flow cytometry, a B-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively, during the first 2 years of life. For the majority of the B-cell subsets, there were no differences between HEU and HUU infants. However, HIV exposure was associated with a lower proportion of B cells in general and MBCs in particular, largely due to a lower proportion of unswitched memory B cells. This reduction was maintained even after correcting for age. These phenotypic differences in the MBC compartment did not affect the ability of HEU infants to generate recall responses to previously encountered antigens or reduce the antigen-specific antibody levels at 18 months of life. Although HIV exposure was associated with a transient reduction in the proportion of MBCs, we found that the ability of HEU infants to mount robust MBC and serological responses was unaffected.

Etiology, Antibiotic Resistance and Risk Factors for Neonatal Sepsis in a Large Referral Center in Zambia

BACKGROUND

In sub-Saharan Africa, there is scanty data on the causes of neonatal sepsis and antimicrobial resistance among common invasive pathogens that might guide policy and practice.

METHODS

A cross-sectional observational prevalence and etiology study of neonates with suspected sepsis admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia, between October 2013 and May 2014. Data from blood cultures and phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing were compared with multivariate analysis of risk factors for neonatal sepsis.

RESULTS

Of 313 neonates with suspected sepsis, 54% (170/313) were male; 20% (62/313) were born to HIV-positive mothers; 33% (103/313) had positive blood cultures, of which 85% (88/103) were early-onset sepsis. Klebsiella species was the most prevalent isolate, accounting for 75% (77/103) of cases, followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci [6% (7/103)], Staphylococcus aureus [6% (6/103)], Escherichia coli [5% (5/103)] and Candida species [5% (5/103)]. For Klebsiella species, antibiotic resistance ranged from 96%-99% for World Health Organization-recommended first-line therapy (gentamicin and ampicillin/penicillin) to 94%-97% for third-generation cephalosporins. The prevalence of culture-confirmed sepsis increased from 0 to 39% during the period December 2013 to March 2014, during which time mortality increased 29%-47%; 93% (14/15) of late-onset sepsis and 82% (37/45) of early-onset sepsis aged 4-7 days were admitted >2 days before the onset of symptoms. Culture results for only 25% (26/103) of cases were available before discharge or death. Maternal HIV infection was associated with a reduced risk of neonatal sepsis [odds ratio, 0.46 (0.23-0.93); P = 0.029].

CONCLUSIONS

Outbreaks of nosocomial multiantibiotic-resistant infections are an important cause of neonatal sepsis and associated mortality. Reduced risk of neonatal sepsis associated with maternal HIV infection is counterintuitive and requires further investigation.

Daily co-trimoxazole prophylaxis to prevent mortality in children with complicated severe acute malnutrition: a multicentre, double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background

Children with complicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have a greatly increased risk of mortality from infections while in hospital and after discharge. In HIV-infected children, mortality and admission to hospital are prevented by daily co-trimoxazole prophylaxis, despite locally reported bacterial resistance to co-trimoxazole. We aimed to assess the efficacy of daily co-trimoxazole prophylaxis on survival in children without HIV being treated for complicated SAM.

Methods

We did a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study in four hospitals in Kenya (two rural hospitals in Kilifi and Malindi, and two urban hospitals in Mombasa and Nairobi) with children aged 60 days to 59 months without HIV admitted to hospital and diagnosed with SAM. We randomly assigned eligible participants (1:1) to 6 months of either daily oral co-trimoxazole prophylaxis (given as water-dispersible tablets; 120 mg per day for age <6 months, 240 mg per day for age 6 months to 5 years) or matching placebo. Assignment was done with computer-generated randomisation in permuted blocks of 20, stratified by centre and age younger or older than 6 months. Treatment allocation was concealed in opaque, sealed envelopes and patients, their families, and all trial staff were masked to treatment assignment. Children were given recommended medical care and feeding, and followed up for 12 months. The primary endpoint was mortality, assessed each month for the first 6 months, then every 2 months for the second 6 months. Secondary endpoints were nutritional recovery, readmission to hospital, and illness episodes treated as an outpatient. Analysis was by intention to treat. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00934492.

Findings

Between Nov 20, 2009, and March 14, 2013, we recruited and assigned 1778 eligible children to treatment (887 to co-trimoxazole prophylaxis and 891 to placebo). Median age was 11 months (IQR 7–16 months), 306 (17%) were younger than 6 months, 300 (17%) had oedematous malnutrition (kwashiorkor), and 1221 (69%) were stunted (length-for-age Z score <–2). During 1527 child-years of observation, 122 (14%) of 887 children in the co-trimoxazole group died, compared with 135 (15%) of 891 in the placebo group (unadjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0·90, 95% CI 0·71–1·16, p=0·429; 16·0 vs 17·7 events per 100 child-years observed (CYO); difference −1·7 events per 100 CYO, 95% CI −5·8 to 2·4]). In the first 6 months of the study (while participants received study medication), 63 suspected grade 3 or 4 associated adverse events were recorded among 57 (3%) children; 31 (2%) in the co-trimoxazole group and 32 (2%) in the placebo group (incidence rate ratio 0·98, 95% CI 0·58–1·65). The most common adverse events of these grades were urticarial rash (grade 3, equally common in both groups), neutropenia (grade 4, more common in the co-trimoxazole group), and anaemia (both grades equally common in both groups). One child in the placebo group had fatal toxic epidermal necrolysis with concurrent Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia.

Interpretation

Daily co-trimoxazole prophylaxis did not reduce mortality in children with complicated SAM without HIV. Other strategies need to be tested in clinical trials to reduce deaths in this population.

Funding

Wellcome Trust, UK

Antiretroviral Choice for HIV Impacts Antimalarial Exposure and Treatment Outcomes in Ugandan Children

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies of artemether-lumefantrine and 3 antiretroviral regimens were conducted in malaria-infected Ugandan children. Efavirenz-based treatment was associated with significant reductions in antimalarial exposure and higher risks of recurrent malaria. Caution in their concurrent use is warranted.

Background. The optimal treatment of malaria in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected children requires consideration of critical drug–drug interactions in coinfected children, as these may significantly impact drug exposure and clinical outcomes.

Methods. We conducted an intensive and sparse pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic study in Uganda of the most widely adopted artemisinin-based combination therapy, artemether-lumefantrine. HIV-infected children on 3 different first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens were compared to HIV-uninfected children not on ART, all of whom required treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Pharmacokinetic sampling for artemether, dihydroartemisinin, and lumefantrine exposure was conducted through day 21, and associations between drug exposure and outcomes through day 42 were investigated.

Results. One hundred forty-five and 225 children were included in the intensive and sparse pharmacokinetic analyses, respectively. Compared with no ART, efavirenz (EFV) reduced exposure to all antimalarial components by 2.1- to 3.4-fold; lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) increased lumefantrine exposure by 2.1-fold; and nevirapine reduced artemether exposure only. Day 7 concentrations of lumefantrine were 10-fold lower in children on EFV vs LPV/r-based ART, changes that were associated with an approximate 4-fold higher odds of recurrent malaria by day 28 in those on EFV vs LPV/r-based ART.

Conclusions. The choice of ART in children living in a malaria-endemic region has highly significant impacts on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of artemether-lumefantrine treatment. EFV-based ART reduces all antimalarial components and is associated with the highest risk of recurrent malaria following treatment. For those on EFV, close clinical follow-up for recurrent malaria following artemether-lumefantrine treatment, along with the study of modified dosing regimens that provide higher exposure, is warranted.

Incidence of infectious morbidity events after second-line antiretroviral therapy initiation in HIV-infected adults in Yaoundé, Cameroon

BACKGROUND

Since antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV-infected individuals experience mainly non-AIDS-related conditions, among which infectious events are prominent. We aimed to estimate incidence and describe overall spectrum of infectious events, including all grade events, among HIV-1-infected adults failing first-line ART in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

METHODS

All patients from Cameroon enrolled in the second-line ART 2LADY trial (ANRS12169) were included in this secondary analysis. Medical files were reviewed with predefined criteria for diagnosis assessment. Incidence rates (IR) were estimated per 100 person-years (% PY).

RESULTS

A total of 302 adult patients contributing 840 PY experienced 596 infectious events (IR 71% PY). Only 29 (5%) events were graded as severe. Most frequent infections were upper respiratory tract infections (15% PY), diarrhoea (9% PY) and malaria (9% PY). A total of 369 (62%) infections occurred during the first year (IR 130% PY) followed by a persistent lower incidence during the following 3 years. Higher IR were observed in patients with CD4⁺ T-cell count <200 cells/mm³ for all infectious events except for mycobacterial and parasitic infections. IR of viral, bacterial and parasitic infectious events were lower in case of co-trimoxazole use in patients with CD4⁺ T-cell count <200 cells/mm³.

CONCLUSIONS

Infectious events are common and mainly occur during the first year after treatment initiation. Second-line ART initiation had a positive impact on the entire spectrum of infectious morbidity.

Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: Risks and Prophylaxis Recommendations

Pneumocystis jirovecii infection causes fulminant interstitial pneumonia (Pneumocystis pneumonia, PCP) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are receiving biological and/or nonbiological antirheumatic drugs. Recently, we encountered a PCP outbreak among RA outpatients at our institution. Hospital-acquired, person-to-person transmission appears to be the most likely mode of this cluster of P. jirovecii infection. Carriage of P. jirovecii seems a time-limited phenomenon in immunocompetent hosts, but in RA patients receiving antirheumatic therapy, clearance of this organism from the lungs is delayed. Carriers among RA patients can serve as sources and reservoirs of P. jirovecii infection for other susceptible patients in outpatient facilities. Development of PCP is a matter of time in such carriers. Considering the poor survival rates of PCP cases, prophylactic antibiotics should be considered for RA patients who are scheduled to receive antirheumatic therapy. Once a new case of PCP occurs, we should take prompt action not only to treat the PCP patient but also to prevent other patients from becoming new carriers of P. jirovecii. Short-term prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is effective in controlling P. jirovecii infection and preventing future outbreaks of PCP among RA patients.

Effects of Co-Trimoxazole on Microbial Translocation in HIV-1-Infected Patients Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy

Microbial translocation (MT) contributes to immune activation during HIV-1 infection, and persists after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). We investigated whether levels of MT markers are influenced by the use of co-trimoxazole (TMP-SMX) in HIV-1 patients. Plasma samples were obtained from HIV-1-infected patients initiating ART with (n=13) or without (n=13) TMP-SMX prophylaxis. Markers of MT [lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), soluble CD14 (sCD14), and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP)] were assessed at baseline (BL), at 1 month, and at 1 year by the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Assay or ELISA. BL levels of LBP were elevated in both categories of patients; they were highest in patients starting ART and TMP-SMX (median, μg/ml: 36.7 vs. 4.3, respectively, p=0.001) and correlated inversely with CD4(+) T cell counts (ρ=-0.65; p=0.005). Patients receiving ART and TMP-SMX had a significant reduction in LBP between BL and 1 year (median, μg/ml: 36.7 vs. 11.1; p=0.003). In contrast, levels of LPS at BL were lower in patients starting ART and TMP-SMX compared to those without TMP-SMX (median, pg/ml: 221 vs. 303 respectively; p=0.002) and did not change at 1 year. The increased BL levels of sCD14 had declined in both groups at 1 year. No difference in I-FABP levels was found between BL and 1 year. Concomitant use of ART and TMP-SMX reduces microbial translocation markers LBP and sCD14, probably due to its impact on the gut microbiota. Effective ART for 1 year does not restore gut-blood barrier dysfunction.