Response to ritonavir-boosted-protease inhibitors (PI/r)-based regimen is associated with some Gag mutations among HIV-1 B-clade. There is limited data on Gag mutations and their covariation with ...mutations in protease among HIV-1 non-B-clades at PI/r-based treatment failure. Thus, we characterized Gag mutations present in isolates from HIV-1 infected individuals treated with a PI/r-regimen (n = 143) and compared them with those obtained from individuals not treated with PI/r (ART-naïve n = 101 or reverse transcriptase inhibitors (RTI) treated n = 118). The most frequent HIV-1 subtypes were CRF02_AG (54.69%), A (13.53%), D (6.35%) and G (4.69%). Eighteen Gag mutations showed a significantly higher prevalence in PI/r-treated isolates compared to ART-naïve (p < 0.05): Group 1 (prevalence < 1% in drug-naïve): L449F, D480N, L483Q, Y484P, T487V; group 2 (prevalence 1-5% in drug-naïve): S462L, I479G, I479K, D480E; group 3 (prevalence ≥ 5% in drug-naïve): P453L, E460A, R464G, S465F, V467E, Q474P, I479R, E482G, T487A. Five Gag mutations (L449F, P453L, D480E, S465F, Y484P) positively correlated (Phi ≥ 0.2, p < 0.05) with protease-resistance mutations. At PI/r-failure, no significant difference was observed between patients with and without these associated Gag mutations in term of viremia or CD4 count. This analysis suggests that some Gag mutations show an increased frequency in patients failing PIs among HIV-1 non-B clades.
Objective
We sought to evaluate the variability of HIV-1 and its effect on immuno-virological response among adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV (APHI).
Methods
A cohort study was ...conducted from 2018–2020 among 311 APHI receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Cameroon. Sequencing of protease and reverse transcriptase regions was performed for participants experiencing virological failure, VF, (Plasma viral load, PVL ≥ 1000 RNA copies/ml). HIV-1 subtypes were inferred by phylogeny; immuno-virological responses were monitored at 3-time points (T1-T3). Cox regression modeling was used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) of progression to: CD4 < 250, and PVL > 5log
10
, adjusted for acquired drug resistance, gender, ART line, adherence, and duration on treatment; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results
Of the 141 participants in VF enrolled, the male-female ratio was 1:1; mean age was 15 (±3) years; and median IQR duration on ART was 51 46–60 months. In all phases, 17 viral clades were found with a predominant CRF02_AG (58.2%, 59.4%, and 58.3%). From T1-T3 respectively, there was an increasing CD4 count (213 154–313, 366 309–469, and 438 364–569 cells/mm
3
) and decline log
10
PVL (5.23, 4.43, and 4.43), similar across subtypes. Among participants with CRF02_AG infection, duration of treatment was significantly associated with both rates of progression to CD4 < 250, and PVL > 5log
10
, aHR = 0.02 (0.001–0.52), and aHR = 0.05 (0.01–0.47) respectively. Moreover, four potential new HIV-1 recombinants were identified (CRF02_AG/02D, CRF02_AG/02A1F2, D/CRF02_AG, and AF2/CRF02_AG), indicating a wide viral diversity.
Conclusion
Among APHI in settings like Cameroon, there is a wide genetic diversity of HIV-1, driven by CRF02_AG and with potential novel clades due to ongoing recombination events. Duration of treatment significantly reduces the risk of disease progression.
Abstract
Objectives
We evaluated the HIV-1 capsid genetic variability and lenacapavir drug resistance-associated mutations (DRMs) among drug-naive individuals across HIV-1 clades.
Methods
A total of ...2031 HIV-1 sequences from drug-naive patients were analysed for capsid amino acid modification and the prevalence of lenacapavir DRMs. Amino acid positions with <5% variability were considered as conserved and variability was analysed by HIV-1 clades.
Results
Overall, 63% (148/232) of amino acid positions were conserved in the capsid protein. Of note, conservation was consistent in specific binding residues of cellular factors involved in viral replication CypA (G89, P90), CPSF6 (Q4, N57, N74, A77, K182) and TRIM-NUP153 (R143), while N183 (12.31%) was the only non-conserved lenacapavir binding residue. The overall prevalence (95% CI) of lenacapavir DRMs was 0.14% (0.05–0.44) (3/2031), with M66I (0.05%) and Q67H (0.05%) observed in subtype C, and T107N (0.05%) observed in CRF01_AE. Moreover, polymorphic mutations M66C (n = 85; 4.18%), Q67K (n = 78; 3.84%), K70R (n = 7; 0.34%), N74R (n = 57; 2.81%) and T107L (n = 82; 4.03%) were observed at lenacapavir resistance-associated positions.
Conclusions
The low level of lenacapavir DRMs (<1%) supports its predicted effectiveness for treatment and prevention, regardless of HIV-1 clades. The established conserved regions hence serve as a hallmark for the surveillance of novel mutations potentially relevant for lenacapavir resistance.
The lower burden of COVID-19 in tropical settings may be due to preexisting cross-immunity, which might vary according to geographical locations and potential exposure to other pathogens. We sought ...to assess the overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and determine SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity according to HIV-status before the COVID-19 pandemic era.
A cross-sectional and comparative study was conducted at the Chantal BIYA International Reference Centre (CIRCB) on 288 stored plasma samples (163 HIV-positive versus 125 HIV-negative); all collected in 2017-2018, before the COVID-19 pandemic era. Abbott Panbio™ COVID-19 IgG/IgM assay was used for detecting SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) and M (IgM). Among people living with HIV (PLHIV), HIV-1 viral load and TCD4 cell count (LTCD4) were measured using Abbott Real Time PCR and BD FACSCalibur respectively. Statistical analyses were performed, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.
The median IQR age was 25 15-38 years. Overall seropositivity to SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was 13.5% (39/288) of which 7.3% (21) was IgG, 7.3% (21) IgM and 1.0% (3) IgG/IgM. According to HIV-status in the study population, SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was 11.0% (18/163) among HIV-positive versus 16.8% (21/125) among HIV-negative respectively, p=0.21. Specifically, IgG was 6.1% (10/163) versus 8.8% (11/125), p=0.26; IgM was 5.5% (9/163) versus 9.6%, (12/125), p=0.13 and IgG/IgM was 0.6% (1/163) versus 1.6% (2/125) respectively. Among PLHIV, SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity according to CD4 count was 9.2% (≥500 cells/µL) versus 1.8% (200-499 cells/µL), (OR=3.5; p=0.04) and 0.6% (<200 cells/µL), (OR=17.7; p<0.01). According to viral load, SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was 6.7% (≥40 copies/mL) versus 4.9% (<40 copies/mL), (OR= 3.8; p<0.01).
Before COVID-19 in Cameroon, cross-reactive antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were in circulation, indicating COVID-19 preexisting immunity. This preexisting immunity may contribute in attenuating disease severity in tropical settings like Cameroon. Of relevance, COVID-19 preexisting immunity is lower with HIV-infection, specifically with viral replication and poor CD4-cell count. As poor CD4-count leads to lower cross-reactive antibodies (regardless of viral load), people living with HIV appear more vulnerable to COVID-19 and should be prioritized for vaccination.
Poor internet infrastructure limits the use of computer-based nursing process forms in rural areas. This study aimed to configure a computer‑based nursing process form to support nursing diagnosis ...and care evaluation in rural healthcare clinics in Africa. This study utilized a methodological design. The design process utilized a three-stage procedure involving planning, configuration, and testing. Seven faculty members volunteered to participate in the laboratory verification process. Each simulation session lasted 45 min and span from patient admission to exit. The experts independently scored the software functionality dichotomously as Not Suitable (score 0) and Suitable (score 1) for nursing practice. The agreement between the faculty volunteers was 0.857. The configuration of a readily available Microsoft Access computer application to support nursing diagnosis without internet service is possible. Health facilities in rural areas without internet connectivity should resort to such local configurations to maximize the benefits of electronic‑based documentation.
In Cameroon, COVID-19 infection spread rapidly and nationwide, with up to 721 deaths reported. To the best of our knowledge, no study reported the on-theground data using a large patients’ dataset to ...give a comprehensive knowledge on COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon. The objective of this study was to shade lights on the epidemiological, virological and clinical features of COVID-19 in the Cameroonian context. An observational study was conducted among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR on nasopharyngeal samples from April 22nd, 2020 to January 5th, 2021. Out of 14119 individuals (59.8% male), overall SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 12.7% (from 7.9% in 60 years, p10%) and was associated with the presence of symptoms and older age. Most of the infection is among young and asymptomatic individuals, suggesting the “track-and-test” strategy should target these potential transmitters.
Abstract
The extent of SARS-CoV-2 circulation in many African countries remains unclear, underlining the need for antibody sero-surveys to assess the cumulative attack rate. Here, we present the ...results of a cross-sectional sero-survey of a random sample of residents of a health district in Yaounde, Cameroon, conducted from October 14 to November 26, 2020. Among the 971 participants, the test-adjusted seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies was 29·2% (95% CI 24·3–34·1). This is about 322 times greater than the 0.09% nationwide attack rate implied by COVID-19 case counts at the time. Men, obese individuals and those living in large households were significantly more likely to be seropositive, and the majority (64·2% 58·7–69·4) of seropositive individuals reported no symptoms. Despite the high seroprevalence, most of the population had not been infected with SARS-CoV-2, highlighting the importance of continued measures to control viral spread and quick vaccine deployment to protect the vulnerable.
With ongoing earlier enrollment on and rapid scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Cameroon, there are increasing risks of transmitted HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) at population levels. We, ...therefore, evaluated the threshold of HIVDR in a population initiating ART, to inform on the effectiveness of first-line regimens, considering HIV-1 diversity, plasma viral load (PVL), and CD4-based disease progression. A total of 53 adults median (interquartile range, IQR) CD4: 162 cell/mm(3) (48-284); median (IQR) PVL: 5.34 log10 RNA (4.17-6.42) copies/ml initiating ART in 2014 at the Yaoundé Central Hospital were enrolled for HIV-1 protease-reverse transcriptase sequencing. Drug resistance mutations (DRMs) were interpreted using the 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) list versus the Stanford HIVdb algorithm version 7.0. Level of DRMs was low (3.77%) versus moderate (7.55%), respectively, following the WHO list (T69D, K103N) versus Stanford HIVdb (T69D, A98G, K103N, K238T), respectively. Prevailing clade was CRF02_AG (71.70%). Based on Stanford HIVdb, a slightly higher proportion of patients with DRMs were found among ones infected with CRF02_AG than in those non-CRF02_AG infected (7.89% vs. 6.67%, p = 1.000), with lower PVL (7.69% <5.5 vs. 0% ≥5.5 log10 RNA copies/ml, p = .488) and with higher CD4 counts (9.52% CD4 ≥200 vs. 3.33% CD4 <200 cells/mm(3), p = .749). Thresholds of DRMs suggest that standard first-line regimens currently used in Cameroon may remain effective at population levels, despite scale-up of ART in the country, pending adherence, and closed virological monitoring. With an intent-to-diagnose approach, the discrepant levels of DRMs support using Stanford HIVdb to evaluate initial ART, while revising the WHO list for surveillance.
WHO recommends the use of COVID-19 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDT) with at least 80 % sensitivity and 97 % specificity. In the era of Omicron variants, we sought to ascertain the performance ...of the INDICAID™ Ag-RDT compared to real-time PCR (RT-PCR) as the gold standard.
A laboratory-based study was conducted among consenting individuals tested for COVID-19 at the virology laboratory of the Chantal BIYA International Reference Centre, Yaoundé-Cameron. The samples were processed by INDICAID™ Ag-RDT and DaAn Gene real-time PCR according to the manufacturer's instructions, and PCR-results were interpreted as per cycle thresholds (CT). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NVP) of INDICAID™ Ag-RDT were evaluated according to PCR CT-values.
A total of 565 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from participants (median age IQR: 40 31–75; M/F sex-ratio was 1.2 and 380 were vaccinated). Following PCR, overall COVID-19 positivity was 5.66 %. For CT < 37, INDICAID™ Ag-RDT sensitivity was 21.9 % (95%CI: 8.3–39.9), specificity 100 % (95%CI: 99.3–100); PPV 100 % (95%CI: 59.0–100), NPV 95.5 % (95%CI: 93.4–97.1) and kappa = 0.34 (95%CI: 0.19–0.35). For CT < 25, sensitivity was 100 % (95%CI: 47.8–100.0), specificity 99.6 % (95%CI: 98.7–99.9); PPV 94.4 % (95%CI: 51.7–100), NPV 100 % (95%CI: 99.3–100) and kappa = 0.83 (95%CI: 0.6–1.0). COVID-19 sequences generated were all Omicron BA.1 subvariants.
For patients infected with high viral loads (CT < 25), INDICAID™ Ag-RDT has high intrinsic (sensitivity and specificity) and extrinsic (predictive values) performances for COVID-19 diagnosis. Due to its simplicity and short turnaround time, INDICAID™ Ag-RDT is, therefore a reliable tool to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at community level in the current era of Omicron subvariants.
•We found low prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection during Omicron-wave in Cameroon.•PCR and INDICAID™ Ag-RDT had excellent agreement at high viral loads.•INDICAID™ Ag-RDT is reliable to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 at community level.
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