Lymphadenopathy due to Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease – A rare differential for a common presentation

A 22-year-old female and previously healthy patient presented at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, complaining of an enlarged lymph node on the left side of her neck for 3-4 weeks in January 2017. Her case file revealed that she additionally had reported recent upper respiratory symptoms, slight fever and mild headache. No typical tuberculosis (TB) symptoms (weight loss, night sweats or cough) were present. Her Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) test was negative and her full blood count was normal except for mild leukopenia

Short Course for Focused Assessment with Sonography for Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Tuberculosis: Preliminary Results in a Rural Setting in South Africa with High Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Tuberculosis

In Africa, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–associated extrapulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is common and poses diagnostic difficulties. Ultrasound is useful to find suggestive signs such as effusions or abdominal lymphadenopathy. Because trained radiologists are scarce in resource-poor settings, even this simple and relatively inexpensive diagnostic tool is frequently unavailable to patients in district hospitals in sub-Saharan Africa. We developed a focused protocol for assessment with sonography for HIV/TB and trained physicians in a rural district hospital in South Africa. In this pilot study, high levels of confidence in identifying specific signs were rapidly achieved and ultrasound was introduced into routine clinical practice

Tuberculosis Pericarditis with Cardiac Tamponade: Management in the Resource-Limited Setting

We report a case of human immunodeficiency virus–associated pericardial tuberculosis complicated by cardiac tamponade. Emergency management and subsequent therapeutic interventions are described and then discussed with particular focus on resource-limited settings. The paucity of evidence to support clinical decisions is emphasized and the need for well designed diagnostic and therapeutic studies is highlighted

Cardiac ultrasound in resource-limited settings (CURLS): towards a wider use of basic echo applications in Africa

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound is increasingly being used as a diagnostic tool in resource-limited settings. The majority of existing ultrasound protocols have been developed and implemented in high-resource settings. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), patients with heart failure of various etiologies commonly present late in the disease process, with a similar syndrome of dyspnea, edema and cardiomegaly on chest X-ray. The causes of heart failure in SSA differ from those in high-resource settings. Point-of-care ultrasound has the potential to identify the underlying etiology of heart failure, and lead to targeted therapy. Based on a literature review and weighted score of disease prevalence, diagnostic impact and difficulty in performing the ultrasound, we propose a context-specific cardiac ultrasound protocol to help differentiate patients presenting with heart failure in SSA. Results: Pericardial effusion, dilated cardiomyopathy, cor pulmonale, mitral valve disease, and left ventricular hypertrophy were identified as target conditions for a focused ultrasound protocol in patients with cardiac failure and cardiomegaly in SSA. By utilizing a simplified 5-question approach with all images obtained from the subxiphoid view, the protocol is suitable for use by health care professionals with limited ultrasound experience. Conclusions: The “Cardiac ultrasound for resource-limited settings (CURLS)” protocol is a context-specific algorithm designed to aid the clinician in diagnosing the five most clinically relevant etiologies of heart failure and cardiomegaly in SSA. The protocol has the potential to influence treatment decisi

Virological Findings and Treatment Outcomes of Cases That Developed Dolutegravir Resistance in Malawi’s National HIV Treatment Program

Millions of Africans are on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy (ART), but few detailed descriptions of dolutegravir resistance and its clinical management exist. We reviewed HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) testing application forms submitted between June 2019 and October 2022, data from the national HIVDR database, and genotypic test results. We obtained standardized ART outcomes and virological results of cases with dolutegravir resistance, and explored associations with dolutegravir resistance among individuals with successful integrase sequencing. All cases were on two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs)/dolutegravir, and had confirmed virological failure, generally with prolonged viremia. Among 89 samples with successful integrase sequencing, 24 showed dolutegravir resistance. Dolutegravir resistance-associated mutations included R263K (16/24), E138K (7/24), and G118R (6/24). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, older age and the presence of high-level NRTI resistance were significantly associated with dolutegravir resistance. After treatment modification recommendations, four individuals (17%) with dolutegravir resistance died, one self-discontinued ART, one defaulted, and one transferred out. Of the 17 remaining individuals, 12 had follow-up VL results, and 11 (92%) were <1000 copies/mL. Twenty-four cases with dolutegravir resistance among 89 individuals with confirmed virological failure suggests a considerable prevalence in the Malawi HIV program. Successful management of dolutegravir resistance was possible, but early mortality was high. More research on the management of treatment-experienced individuals with dolutegravir resistance is needed

HIV Incidence in Rural South Africa: Comparison of Estimates from Longitudinal Surveillance and Cross-Sectional cBED Assay Testing

The original publication is available at http:/www.plosone.orgBackground: The BED IgG-Capture Enzyme Immunoassay (cBED assay), a test of recent HIV infection, has been used to estimate HIV incidence in cross-sectional HIV surveys. However, there has been concern that the assay overestimates HIV incidence to an unknown extent because it falsely classifies some individuals with non-recent HIV infections as recently infected. We used data from a longitudinal HIV surveillance in rural South Africa to measure the fraction of people with nonrecent HIV infection who are falsely classified as recently HIV-infected by the cBED assay (the long-term false-positive ratio (FPR)) and compared cBED assay-based HIV incidence estimates to longitudinally measured HIV incidence. Methodology/Principal Findings: We measured the long-term FPR in individuals with two positive HIV tests (in the HIV surveillance, 2003-2006) more than 306 days apart (sample size n = 1,065). We implemented four different formulae to calculate HIV incidence using cBED assay testing (n = 11,755) and obtained confidence intervals (CIs) by directly calculating the central 95th percentile of incidence values. We observed 4,869 individuals over 7,685 person-years for longitudinal HIV incidence estimation. The long-term FPR was 0.0169 (95% CI 0.0100-0.0266). Using this FPR, the cross-sectional cBED-based HIV incidence estimates (per 100 people per year) varied between 3.03 (95% CI 2.44-3.63) and 3.19 (95% CI 2.57-3.82), depending on the incidence formula. Using a long-term FPR of 0.0560 based on previous studies, HIV incidence estimates varied between 0.65 (95% CI 0.00-1.32) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.00-1.43). The longitudinally measured HIV incidence was 3.09 per 100 people per year (95% CI 2.69-3.52), after adjustment to the sex-age distribution of the sample used in cBED assay-based estimation. Conclusions/Significance: In a rural community in South Africa with high HIV prevalence, the long-term FPR of the cBED assay is substantially lower than previous estimates. The cBED assay performs well in HIV incidence estimation if the locally measured long-term FPR is used, but significantly underestimates incidence when a FPR estimate based on previous studies in other settings is used. © 2008 Bärnighausen et al.Publishers' Versio

High uptake of HIV testing for tuberculosis patients in an integrated primary health care HIV/TB programme in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the HIV-infected African population. The need for improved integration of HIV and TB services was highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) several years ago, but implementation of recommendations has been slow. HIV testing for TB patients is the gateway for combined HIV and TB treatment, care and prevention yet, in 2007, only 37% of TB patients in the WHO African region were tested for HIV. While some countries reported testing rates above 75%, a testing rate of only 39% was reported in South Africa, the country with the largest burden of HIV/TB co-infection. We describe our efforts to ensure high HIV testing rates in TB patients via an integrated programme at primary health care level in rural KwaZulu-Natal

“Sponge pattern” of the spleen: a rarely described high-frequency ultrasound pattern in HIV-positive patients

Abstract Background The spleen is frequently scanned in workup of infections. Hypoechoic splenic micro-abscesses are known signs of disseminated tuberculosis in HIV co-infected patients. The spleen of HIV patients is thus often scanned using high-frequency transducers. Methods and findings We describe a reticulo-nodular “sponge pattern” in the spleen of an HIV-positive patient with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Disseminated throughout the spleen, very small (1.5–2.0 mm) hypoechoic lesions having a branching reticulo-nodular distribution were seen. The lesions partly, but not entirely, follow splenic vasculature. Review of stored images of other patients identified 15 more cases showing a similar pattern. All patients were HIV positive, almost all with CD4 counts below 200 cells/mm3. Seven (44%) were additionally diagnosed with HHV-8-associated diseases, but the pattern was seen with various underlying opportunistic infections. Discussion and conclusion After comparison with spleen microscopic anatomy, we hypothesize that the white pulp of spleens in our patients is hyperplastic or otherwise changed in consistency to be better visible by high-frequency ultrasound. Concomitant human herpesvirus-8 infection may be another cause of this visible white pulp. While we can only speculate about the etiology of the splenic “sponge pattern,” it needs to be recognized as it may be misinterpreted as splenic micro-abscesses of disseminated infections, like tuberculosis in severely immune-compromised patients

Patterns of Hepatosplenic Brucella Abscesses on Cross-Sectional Imaging: A Review of Clinical and Imaging Features

While diffuse involvement of liver and spleen is frequently seen in brucellosis, suppurative abscesses caused by Brucella are less common but well described. With the increased availability of cross-sectional imaging techniques, reports have become more frequent. Four patients with hepatosplenic abscesses caused by Brucella spp. are described and included in a review of 115 previously published cases. Clinical characteristics and patterns on ultrasound (US) and computed tomography imaging were analyzed. Furthermore, the proportion of patients with brucellosis affected by suppurative hepatosplenic lesions was estimated. Hepatosplenic abscesses were seen in 1.2% of patients with brucellosis and were mostly caused by Brucella melitensis. Imaging analysis revealed two main distinct patterns. Solitary abscesses involving liver more frequently than spleen, and showing characteristic central calcifications, characterize the first pattern. Multiple smaller abscesses, frequent spleen involvement, and absence of calcifications characterize the second pattern. Blood and aspirate cultures were frequently negative, however, the positivity rate increased over the past years. Indirect Coombs test was positive in 96%. Half of the patients were cured by antibiotic treatment; case fatality in this series was 1.9%. Hepatosplenic abscesses due to Brucella infections have characteristic imaging findings. Clinicians should be aware of these and the proactive use of cross-sectional imaging, particularly US, should be encouraged in endemic regions