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TropicalMed
Special Issues
HIV Transmission and Control
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HIV Transmission and Control

A special issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (ISSN 2414-6366). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 115991

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Louie Mar A. Gangcuangco

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Hawaii Center for AIDS, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
Interests: HIV; AIDS; antimicrobial resistance; preventive medicine; public health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The global HIV/AIDS epidemic has claimed over 32 million lives in the past 40 years. Despite advances in treatment and prevention, more than 1 million people are infected with HIV annually worldwide. Basic scientists, clinicians, and public health practitioners face multi-factorial barriers in the battle to end the HIV epidemic.

Some of the challenges include the lack of an effective HIV vaccine, viral persistence in anatomic and cellular reservoirs, emerging antiretroviral therapy resistance, co-infections, and socio-economic barriers to care. The goal of this Special Issue on HIV Transmission and Control is to construct a comprehensive collection of research papers, perspective articles, and reviews that focus on the following:

  • HIV vaccine development;
  • Novel methods of characterizing and eradicating the HIV reservoir;
  • Effect of co-infections and the immune response in HIV transmission;
  • HIV prevention efforts in developing countries and among key populations (people who are experiencing houselessness; transgender people; youth; people who inject drugs; and incarcerated individuals);
  • Treatment as prevention: linkage to care, antiretroviral resistance, and novel HIV therapies;
  • Social determinants of health and their impact on HIV prevention programs, including challenges in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake among at-risk populations;
  • The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV transmission and control.

Manuscript submissions from developing nations and under-represented groups are highly encouraged.

Dr. Louie Mar A. Gangcuangco
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • AIDS
  • HIV prevention
  • HIV vaccine
  • pre-exposure prophylaxis
  • antiretroviral therapy
  • public health
  • integrase inhibitors
  • epidemiology
  • healthcare disparities

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1794 KiB  
Article
Barriers to Antiretroviral Medication Adherence in People Living with HIV (PLHIV) at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines
by Philip John M. Joves, Melgar O. Matulac and Rodolfo S. Pagcatipunan, Jr.
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(10), 461; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8100461 - 29 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3140
Abstract
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the HIV crisis in the Philippines worsened and triggered a chain reaction that disrupted the provision and utilization of HIV services. This study aims to fill in the gap in knowledge by exploring the possible association between sociodemographic [...] Read more.
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the HIV crisis in the Philippines worsened and triggered a chain reaction that disrupted the provision and utilization of HIV services. This study aims to fill in the gap in knowledge by exploring the possible association between sociodemographic characteristics and the barriers to ART adherence for PLHIV in the Philippines at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed by using a survey questionnaire, which was distributed via online social media (Twitter). Data were analyzed using the Stata software. Results: There is a significant association between the following treatment barriers and sociodemographic characteristics: the location of treatment hubs and respondents who finished college/graduate studies; checkpoints and crossing borders; and (1) respondents from Northern Luzon Region, (2) unemployed respondents and financial assistance—1. respondents 18 to 25 years old; 2. unemployed respondents—(3) respondents who finished elementary/high school and psychosocial support—(1) respondents from the NCR; (2) respondents 26 to 30 years old, stocks of ARVs and other medicines, and employed respondents. Conclusions: The results suggest a necessity for innovative approaches to make HIV care services, particularly ART, more accessible to PLHIV during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future large-scale studies exploring the association between sociodemographic characteristics and barriers to medication adherence of PLHIV during the COVID-19 pandemic are recommended. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Transmission and Control)
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13 pages, 812 KiB  
Article
Virological Non-Suppression among Newly Diagnosed HIV-Positive Individuals on Dolutegravir-Based Antiretroviral Treatment in Eastern Ethiopia: Follow-Up Study
by Abdella Gemechu, Adane Mihret, Fekadu Alemu Atire, Abraham Aseffa, Rawleigh Howe, Berhanu Seyoum and Andargachew Mulu
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(8), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8080391 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1992
Abstract
There have been limited studies linking baseline factors, including the viral load (VL) test, with virological non-suppression since the introduction of dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimens as first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Ethiopia. This study aimed to identify baseline factors associated with virological non-suppression between [...] Read more.
There have been limited studies linking baseline factors, including the viral load (VL) test, with virological non-suppression since the introduction of dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimens as first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Ethiopia. This study aimed to identify baseline factors associated with virological non-suppression between October 2020 and July 2022. A follow-up study was conducted in eastern Ethiopia among newly diagnosed people living with HIV (PLHIV). A questionnaire and a checklist were used to collect the data. Five milliliters of venous blood were obtained at baseline and six months to determine the VL. A VL test was performed using the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay. To determine predictors of virological non-suppression, bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used. There were 235 PLHIV enrolled, 70.6% of whom were female, with a mean age of 33.9 years. Of the 161 retained on ART, virological non-suppression was 8.7% at six months. Baseline predictors of virological non-suppression were age ≤ 30 years, a history of substance use, and a VL greater than 4-log10 copies/mL. In this cohort, virological non-suppression was found to be optimal but still lagged slightly behind the third 95%–target. Thus, targeted interventions, the introduction of baseline VL testing to improve treatment outcomes, and fostering the attainment of UNAIDS 95–95–95 targets are recommended. Furthermore, broader research is recommended to explore the reasons for virological non-suppression in the study area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Transmission and Control)
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10 pages, 291 KiB  
Article
Substance Use and Risky Sexual Behavior in the PrEP Outpatient Clinic at the University Hospital of Brasília
by Alan Rodrigues da Costa, Jônatas Ferreira Barros, Valéria Paes Lima, Camila Magalhães, Hellen Kássia Rezende Silva, Rodolfo Deusdará and Juliana de Souza Lapa
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(6), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8060323 - 16 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1603
Abstract
(1) Background: To evaluate the epidemiological profile of people who use drugs at the PrEP outpatient clinic of the University Hospital of Brasília; (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study with a review of data from medical records referring to the first medical consultation. The prevalence [...] Read more.
(1) Background: To evaluate the epidemiological profile of people who use drugs at the PrEP outpatient clinic of the University Hospital of Brasília; (2) Methods: Cross-sectional study with a review of data from medical records referring to the first medical consultation. The prevalence ratio was calculated using a Poisson regression model with robust variance; (3) Results: A total of 53% of subjects reported drug use in the last 3 months. The unadjusted prevalence ratio of drug use in trans women was PR: 9.0 (95%CI: 1.4–57.5). people who use drugs have a 1.9 times higher prevalence of STI diagnosis, and a 2.4 times higher prevalence of partners compared to non-users; (4) Conclusions: Substance use was associated with a higher STI prevalence ratio and number of sexual partners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Transmission and Control)
11 pages, 1999 KiB  
Article
A Rapid and Sensitive Detection of HIV-1 with a One-Pot Two-Stage Reverse Transcription Recombinase Aided Real-Time PCR Assay
by Fengyu Tian, Cong Jin, Shangzhi Ji, Yanqing Tie, Guohao Fan, Ruiqing Zhang, Yehuan Zheng, Xinxin Shen, Xuejun Ma and Zhishan Feng
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(2), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8020105 - 6 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3403
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) attacks the immune system, making people susceptible to various diseases, thus increasing their risk of death. Comprehensive detection of major HIV-1 strains circulating in China is vital for effective HIV-1 infection prevention and treatment. HIV-1 nucleic acid detection [...] Read more.
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) attacks the immune system, making people susceptible to various diseases, thus increasing their risk of death. Comprehensive detection of major HIV-1 strains circulating in China is vital for effective HIV-1 infection prevention and treatment. HIV-1 nucleic acid detection is considered effective for HIV-1 diagnosis since traditional immunological testing may fail to detect HIV-1 infection during the window period. This work demonstrates a one-pot two-stage amplification assay (RT-RAP), a combination of reverse transcription recombinase (RT- RAA), and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The turn-around time of the assay is only 50 min and can be performed with commonly available laboratory equipment, the qPCR devices. The RT-RAP assay could detect approximately 5 and 14 copies/reaction of HIV-1 DNA and RNA using recombinant plasmids and standard reference strains, respectively. Additionally, we found that the clinical performance of RT-RAP (detected 169 samples out of 170 specimens) was consistent with that of qRT-PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of RT-RAP were 100.00% (99/99) and 98.59% (70/71), respectively, while its positive and negative predictive values were 99.00% (99/100) and 100.00% (70/70), respectively. The total coincidence rate of the RT-RAP was 99.41% (169/170), with a kappa value of 0.988 (p < 0.05). We demonstrated that RT-RAP could rapidly detect the common HIV-1 subtypes commonly circulating in China with comparable sensitivity and specificity to qRT-PCR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Transmission and Control)
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Review

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16 pages, 922 KiB  
Review
The State of the HIV Epidemic in the Philippines: Progress and Challenges in 2023
by Louie Mar A. Gangcuangco and Patrick C. Eustaquio
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(5), 258; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8050258 - 30 Apr 2023
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 104664
Abstract
In the past decade, the Philippines has gained notoriety as the country with the fastest-growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the Western Pacific region. While the overall trends of HIV incidence and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related deaths are declining globally, an increase [...] Read more.
In the past decade, the Philippines has gained notoriety as the country with the fastest-growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the Western Pacific region. While the overall trends of HIV incidence and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related deaths are declining globally, an increase in new cases was reported to the HIV/AIDS and ART Registry of the Philippines. From 2012 to 2023, there was a 411% increase in daily incidence. Late presentation in care remains a concern, with 29% of new confirmed HIV cases in January 2023 having clinical manifestations of advanced HIV disease at the time of diagnosis. Men having sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected. Various steps have been taken to address the HIV epidemic in the country. The Philippine HIV and AIDS Policy Act of 2018 (Republic Act 11166) expanded access to HIV testing and treatment. HIV testing now allows for the screening of minors 15–17 years old without parental consent. Community-based organizations have been instrumental in expanding HIV screening to include self-testing and community-based screening. The Philippines moved from centralized HIV diagnosis confirmation by Western blot to a decentralized rapid HIV diagnostic algorithm (rHIVda). Dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy is now the first line. Pre-exposure prophylaxis in the form of emtricitabine–tenofovir disoproxil fumarate has been rolled out. The number of treatment hubs and primary HIV care facilities continues to increase. Despite these efforts, barriers to ending the HIV epidemic remain, including continued stigma, limited harm reduction services for people who inject drugs, sociocultural factors, and political deterrents. HIV RNA quantification and drug resistance testing are not routinely performed due to associated costs. The high burden of tuberculosis and hepatitis B virus co-infection complicate HIV management. CRF_01AE is now the predominant subtype, which has been associated with poorer clinical outcomes and faster CD4 T-cell decline. The HIV epidemic in the Philippines requires a multisectoral approach and calls for sustained political commitment, community involvement, and continued collaboration among various stakeholders. In this article, we outline the current progress and challenges in curbing the HIV epidemic in the Philippines. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue HIV Transmission and Control)
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