Other Infections
Anti-HIV Drugs Show Activity against XMRV Retrovirus Linked to Prostate Cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Details
- Category: XMRV & Other Retroviruses
- Published on Tuesday, 13 April 2010 00:00
- Written by Liz Highleyman
The integrase inhibitor raltegravir (Isentress) and certain other antiretroviral drugs used to treat HIV are also active against xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), a distantly related retrovirus thought to play a role in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome, according to a study described in the April 1 2010? issue of the open-access journal PLoS One.
Starting Antiretroviral Therapy during Tuberculosis
- Details
- Category: Tuberculosis (TB)
- Published on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 07:47
- Written by Liz Highleyman
HIV positive people with tuberculosis (TB) who start treatment for both infections at the same time have a lower risk of death than those who initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) only after completing TB treatment, according to a study from South African published in the February 25, 2010 New England Journal of Medicine. While caution is warranted when combining HIV and TB drugs, rates of adverse events in this study were similar in the integrated and sequential therapy arms.
Anal Pap Smears to Detect Pre-cancerous Cell Changes Are as Effective as Cervical Screening, especially at Low CD4 Counts
- Details
- Category: Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
- Published on Tuesday, 26 January 2010 13:15
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Anal cytology testing works about as well as cervical cytology tests -- better known as Pap smears -- for detecting pre-cancerous cell changes (neoplasia) in HIV positive and HIV negative individuals, according to a study published in the January 28, 2010 issue of AIDS. The test was more accurate for higher grades of neoplasia, for HIV positive participants, and for those with lower CD4 cell counts.
U.S. Tuberculosis Rate Falls to Record Low, Possibly Due to Improved Testing of Immigrants
- Details
- Category: Tuberculosis (TB)
- Published on Tuesday, 30 March 2010 07:42
- Written by Liz Highleyman
The prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) cases on the U.S. fell by more than 10% from 2009 to 2008 -- the greatest single-year decrease ever recorded and the lowest rate since TB surveillance began in 1953, according to the latest data from the CDC's National TB Surveillance System reported in the March 19, 2010 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
WHO Modifies Recommendations for Treatment of H1N1 Swine Flu in Severely Immunocompromised Patients
- Details
- Category: H1N1 (Swine) Flu
- Published on Tuesday, 08 December 2009 13:13
- Written by WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week issued modified treatment recommendations for severely immunocompromised individuals, after receiving reports of 2 clusters of hospitalized patients in Wales and North Carolina who contracted 2009 H1N1 influenza A (commonly referred to as swine flu) resistant to the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Severely immunocompromised patients are highly susceptible to infection, particularly difficult to treat, and especially likely to develop resistance; an alternative drug, zanamivir (Relenza), should be considered as the treatment of choice for patients who develop prolonged influenza illness despite treatment with oseltamivir. 
March 24 is World TB Day -- WHO Report Reveals Record Levels of Multidrug-resistant and Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis
- Details
- Category: Tuberculosis (TB)
- Published on Tuesday, 23 March 2010 08:01
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Levels of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) have reached their highest levels to date, and in some parts of the world upwards of 25% of the population is affected, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) released in advance of World TB Day on March 24. In 2008, an estimated 440,000 people worldwide had MDR-TB, one-third of whom died. While there is no official XDR-TB estimate, WHO experts think there may be around 25,000 cases per year, most of them fatal. For more information on World TB Day, see http://www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2010.
Healthy Adults May Have Protective Immunity That Blunts Severity of H1N1 Influenza Infection
- Details
- Category: H1N1 (Swine) Flu
- Published on Tuesday, 24 November 2009 13:13
- Written by NIH
Healthy adults may have some degree of protective immunity against the novel 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus (commonly referred to as swine flu), which is responsible for the current ongoing pandemic, according to a new study published in the November 16, 2009 advance online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. These findings may help explain why the current H1N1 flu has not caused more severe illness, and why children are more susceptible and require more vaccine doses than adults. 
Mycobacterium vaccae Vaccine Prevents Tuberculosis in HIV Positive People with Prior BCG Vaccination
- Details
- Category: Tuberculosis (TB)
- Published on Friday, 05 February 2010 13:15
- Written by Liz Highleyman
A large trial in Tanzania found that a multiple-dose vaccination series using Mycobacterium vaccae was safe and partially effective -- a 39% risk reduction -- in preventing tuberculosis (TB) in HIV positive adults who had received the minimally effective BCG vaccine as children, researchers reported in the January 28, 2010 advance online edition of AIDS.
U.S. Sexually Transmitted Disease Rates Remain High, with a Resurgence of Syphilis among Gay Men
- Details
- Category: Other STDs
- Published on Tuesday, 24 November 2009 13:13
- Written by Liz Highleyman
Rates of 3 sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) -- chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis -- remain high in the U.S., according to the latest epidemiological data issued last week in a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These infections can be cured, but can cause serious complications if untreated and can increase the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission. High STD rates among African-Americans and teens are particularly alarming, and men who have sex with men account for the greatest prevalence of syphilis, which has made a comeback after nearly being eliminated.
More Articles...
- Forum: Seasonal and H1N1 Swine Flu Are Risks for People with HIV, but Vaccines Are Scarce
- CDC Issues Updated Information about H1N1 Swine Flu for People with HIV
- CDC Updates Interim Recommendations for Clinicians Concerning H1N1 Influenza in HIV Positive Adults and Adolescents
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Linked to Infectious Retrovirus XMRV
- FDA Issues Updates for Health Professionals on Vaccines and Antiviral Medications for H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu)
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