Nicholas A. Medland

Screening for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis in men who have sex with men at male-only saunas.

Background and Objectives In response to increases in sexually transmissible infections (STI) and HIV infection rates among men who have sex with men (MSM), the current study aimed to investigate the feasibility of a screening program at male-only saunas in Melbourne, Australia. Goal The goal was to determine (1) the participation rate, and the proportion whom obtain test results; (2) the prevalence of gonorrhea and chlamydia; and (3) to evaluate risk factors for STI acquisition. Study Design We used a cross-sectional design. Pharyngeal, rectal, and urethral specimens were collected from participants, and tested for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results There was a participation rate of 24% (n = 521), and 70% obtained their test results. The infection rate in those who failed to collect their results was no different than those seeking theirs. The proportion of participants with PCR-detected gonorrhea and/or chlamydia infection was high, 10.7%. The presence of infection was associated with seeking sexual health care in the last year. Conclusion The high prevalence rate of gonorrhea and chlamydia supports the concept of a screening program in Melbourne male-only saunas. The low participation rate has highlighted the need to consider alternative methods for making contact with men in the saunas or offering incentives to participate in future screening programs. Although anonymous participation encouraged participation for some men, future programs should attempt to obtain contact details for follow up of positive test results.

The HIV care cascade: a systematic review of data sources, methodology and comparability

The cascade of HIV diagnosis, care and treatment (HIV care cascade) is increasingly used to direct and evaluate interventions to increase population antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage, a key component of treatment as prevention. The ability to compare cascades over time, sub‐population, jurisdiction or country is important. However, differences in data sources and methodology used to construct the HIV care cascade might limit its comparability and ultimately its utility. Our aim was to review systematically the different methods used to estimate and report the HIV care cascade and their comparability.

Clinic Network Collaboration and Patient Tracing to Maximize Retention in HIV Care.

Background Understanding retention and loss to follow up in HIV care, in particular the number of people with unknown outcomes, is critical to maximise the benefits of antiretroviral therapy. Individual-level data are not available for these outcomes in Australia, which has an HIV epidemic predominantly focused amongst men who have sex with men. Methods and Findings A network of the 6 main HIV clinical care sites was established in the state of Victoria, Australia. Individuals who had accessed care at these sites between February 2011 and June 2013 as assessed by HIV viral load testing but not accessed care between June 2013 and February 2014 were considered individuals with potentially unknown outcomes. For this group an intervention combining cross-referencing of clinical data between sites and phone tracing individuals with unknown outcomes was performed. 4966 people were in care in the network and before the intervention estimates of retention ranged from 85.9%–95.8% and the proportion with unknown outcomes ranged from 1.3-5.5%. After the intervention retention increased to 91.4–98.8% and unknown outcomes decreased to 0.1–2.4% (p<.01 for all sites for both outcomes). Most common reasons for disengagement from care were being too busy to attend or feeling well. For those with unknown outcomes prior to the intervention documented active psychiatric illness at last visit was associated with not re-entering care (p = 0.04) Conclusions The network demonstrated low numbers of people with unknown outcomes and high levels of retention in care. Increased levels of retention in care and reductions in unknown outcomes identified after the intervention largely reflected confirmation of clinic transfers while a smaller number were successfully re-engaged in care. Factors associated with disengagement from care were identified. Systems to monitor patient retention, care transfer and minimize disengagement will maximise individual and population-level outcomes for populations with HIV.

Time from HIV infection to virological suppression: dramatic fall from 2007 to 2016

Aim: Time from HIV infection to virological suppression: dramatic fall from 2007 to 2016. Objectives: We examined the time from HIV infection to virological suppression in MSM who were first diagnosed at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre between 2007 and 2016. Design: Retrospective cohort. Methods: Date of infection was imputed from the testing history or serological evidence of recent infection (negative or indeterminate western blot) or baseline CD4+ cell count. Date of virological suppression was determined using clinical viral load data. We analysed predictors of diagnosis with serological evidence of recent infection (logistic regression) and time from diagnosis to suppression and from infection to suppression (Cox regression) using demographic, clinical, and behavioral covariates. Results: Between 2007 and 2016, the median time from HIV infection to diagnosis fell from 6.8 to 4.3 months (P = 0.001), from diagnosis to suppression fell from 22.7 to 3.2 months (P < 0.0001), and from infection to suppression fell from 49.0 to 9.6 months (P < 0.0001). Serological evidence of recent infection increased from 15.6 to 34.3% (P < 0.0001) of diagnoses. In the multivariate analyses, age, being recently arrived from a non-English speaking country, history of IDU, other sexually transmitted infections, and sexual risk were not associated with any of these measures. Conclusion: The duration of infectiousness in MSM diagnosed with HIV infection at Melbourne Sexual Health Centre in Victoria has fallen dramatically between 2007 and 2016 and the proportion diagnosed with serological evidence of recent infection has increased. This effect is observed across all population subgroups and marks a positive milestone for the treatment as prevention paradigm.

Incidence of renal Fanconi syndrome in patients taking antiretroviral therapy including tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

The objective of this study was to determine the incidence and predictors of Fanconi Syndrome (FS) in a cohort of patients taking tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). Clinical records and laboratory investigations from patients receiving TDF between 2002 and 2016 were extracted. FS was defined as normoglycaemic glycosuria and proteinuria and at least one other marker of renal dysfunction. Regression analysis was performed with time to development of FS and the following covariates: ritonavir co-administration, age, gender, co-morbidities (hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, viral hepatitis), CD4 cell count nadir and baseline eGFR. One thousand and forty-four patients received TDF without ritonavir and 398 patients with ritonavir. Thirteen cases of FS were identified with a mean duration of exposure of 55 months. The incidence of FS was 1.09/1000PY (0.54–1.63) of TDF exposure (without ritonavir) and 5.50/1000PY (3.66–7.33) of TDF-ritonavir co-administration (p=0.0057). The adjusted hazards ratio for ritonavir co-administration was 4.71 (1.37–16.14, p=0.014). Known risk factors for chronic kidney disease were not associated with development of FS. Ritonavir co-administration, but not other factors, is associated with a greater risk of FS. FS developed late. Known risk factors for chronic kidney disease and length of treatment are not useful for identifying patients most at risk of developing FS in patients taking TDF.

Time from HIV diagnosis to commencement of antiretroviral therapy as an indicator to supplement the HIV cascade: Dramatic fall from 2011 to 2015

Introduction The HIV care cascade is increasingly used to evaluate HIV treatment programs at the population level. However, the cascade indicators lack the ability to show changes over time, which reduces their utility to guide health policy. Alternatives have been proposed but are complex or result in a delay in results. We propose a new indicator of ART uptake, the time from HIV diagnosis to commencement of ART, and compare it to the existing cascade indicator of proportion of patients on treatment and the WHO proposed cohort cascade indicator of proportion of patients on treatment within one year of diagnosis. Methods and materials Records from patients from the two largest HIV treatment centres in the state of Victoria, Australia (Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and The Alfred Hospital Department of Infectious Diseases) from 2011 to 2015 were extracted. The intervals between date of diagnosis, entry into care and initiation of ART were compared. Results and discussion From 2011 to 2015 the proportion of in-care patients who were on ART rose from 87% to 93% (p<0.0001). From 2011 to 2014, the proportion of patients in care and on ART within one year of diagnosis increased from 43.4% to 78.9% (p = 0.001). The median time from diagnosis to ART fell from 418 days (IQR: 91–1176) to 77 days (IQR: 39–290)(p<0.001) by calendar year in which ART was commenced. Conclusions From 2011 to 2015 there were substantial and clinically important falls in the median time from diagnosis to commencing ART in those that commenced ART. The size of this dramatic change was not apparent when only reporting the proportion of patients on ART. Time to ART is a useful indicator and can be used to supplement existing cascade indicators in measuring progress toward universal ART coverage.

Obstacles to prescribers' initiation early antiretroviral therapy : a barrier to achieving 90-90-90 goals

www.thelancet.com/hiv Vol 3 December 2016 e559 for under-registration in vital registries, garbage codes (deaths assigned to causes that cannot be underlying causes of death), and misclassifi cation of HIV deaths. We do agree with Kelly and Wilson that to improve HIV estimates further, especially for developed countries, other types of data are needed, which include case reports on HIV/AIDS. However, the quality and complete ness of such data are diffi cult to assess, and other signifi cant assumptions need to be made such as the duration from infection to diagnosis. We think that close collaboration among GBD, Optima, and the European CDC will improve estimates derived from diff erent approaches.

Incident HIV infection has fallen rapidly in men who have sex with men in Melbourne, Australia (2013–2017) but not in the newly-arrived Asian-born

BackgroundWe examined differences in incident HIV infection between newly-arrived Asian-born and other men who have sex with men (MSM) after the introduction of universal HIV treatment guidelines in 2015 and pre-exposure prophylaxis in 2016.MethodsClinical, demographic, laboratory and behavioural data on MSM presenting for HIV testing at the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre from July 2013 to June 2017 were extracted. We compared the proportion of newly-arrived (four years or less in Australia), Asian-born and other MSM tested each year who were diagnosed with incident HIV infection (negative test within one year or diagnosis with indeterminate or negative Western Blot).ResultsWe analysed 35,743 testing episodes in 12,180 MSM, including 2781 testing episodes in 1047 newly-arrived Asian-born MSM. The proportion of other MSM tested each year who were diagnosed with incident HIV infection fell from 0.83% in 2014 to 0.38% in 2017 (p = .001), but did not fall in newly-arrived Asian-born MSM (from 1.18% in 2014 to 1.56% in 2017, p = .76). In the multivariate logistic regression, in 2016/2017 but not in 2014/2015, being newly-arrived Asian-born was associated with an increased odds of diagnosis of incident HIV infection (aOR 3.29, 95%CI 1.82–5.94, p < .001).ConclusionsThe epidemiology of HIV in Melbourne Australia has changed dramatically. While there has been an overall reduction amongst MSM, the incidence of HIV in newly-arrived Asian-born MSM remains high. Failing to address these new inequalities leaves individuals at risk and may offset the population benefit of biomedical HIV prevention.