Sabrina S. Plitt

Time to Testing and Accessing Care among a Population of Newly Diagnosed Patients with HIV with a High Proportion of Canadian Aboriginals, 1998–2003

Early HIV diagnosis and treatment are important for decreasing HIV transmission and morbidity. By using initial CD4 counts and time to first viral load test, we examined the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis and the time to accessing medical care after diagnosis, respectively. Initial CD4 count, first HIV viral load test, demographics and exposure risks were obtained for all newly diagnosed HIV cases in Northern Alberta from 1998-2003. Time to accessing care was determined as the time between diagnosis and the first viral load test. Correlates were determined using simple descriptive statistics and survival analysis methods. Of 526 HIV cases, median age was 36 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 31-43), 69% were males and 41% were Aboriginal. At diagnosis, 28% of the population had CD4 counts less than 200 cells=mm3. After diagnosis, 92.2% accessed care and median time to care for the entire population was 29 days. In multivariate analysis, age at diagnosis less than 45 years was independently associated with longer median time to care (versus age 45 years or more; adjusted hazard ratio [AHR]: 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.55-0.88), while Aboriginal ethnicity (versus Caucasian; AHR: 0.82; 95% CI 0.68-1.01), and nonmetropolitan residence (versus metropolitan; AHR: 0.81; 95% CI 0.65-1.00) were marginally significant correlates for longer times to care. Although more than one quarter of cases were diagnosed at relatively advanced stages of infection, the majority of new HIV cases in Northern Alberta accessed care within 2 months of diagnosis. We need to explore new strategies to facilitate and promote earlier access to testing among individuals at risk.

Feasibility and Field Performance of a Simultaneous Syphilis and HIV Point-of-Care Test Based Screening Strategy in at Risk Populations in Edmonton, Canada.

Few studies have evaluated the feasibility of delivering syphilis point-of-care (POC) testing in outreach (nonclinical) settings in resource rich countries. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic performance of performing both HIV and syphilis POC testing in outreach settings and to document new cases identified in the study population. 1,265 outreach testing visits were offered syphilis and HIV POC testing and 81.5% (n = 1,031) consented to testing. In our population, the SD Bioline 3.0 Syphilis Test had a sensitivity of 85.3% [CI (68.9–95.0)], specificity of 100.0% [CI (99.6–100.0)], positive predictive value (PPV) of 100.0% [CI (88.1–100.0)], and negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.5% [CI (98.9–99.8)]. Test characteristics for the INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 Antibody Test had a 100.0% sensitivity [CI (39.8–100.00], 99.8 specificity [CI (99.3–100)], 66.7% PPV [CI (22.3–95.7)], and 100.0% NPV [CI (99.6–100.0)]. Four new cases of syphilis and four new HIV cases were diagnosed. In summary, at risk population seeking STI testing found POC tests to be acceptable, the POC tests performed well in outreach settings, and new cases of syphilis and HIV were identified and linked to treatment and care.

Antimicrobial resistance in gonorrhea: the influence of epidemiologic and laboratory surveillance data on treatment guidelines: Alberta, Canada 2001-2007.

Objectives: To describe the impact of surveillance for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae over a 7-year period on treatment guidelines in Alberta, Canada. Methods: AMR testing data from gonorrhea cases were combined with demographic and risk behavior information collected through surveillance to describe trends and sequential changes to treatment guidelines. Results: Ciprofloxacin resistant gonorrhea (CRG) cultures rose from 1.4% in 2001 to 27.7% in 2007. Of 200 CRG cases, 90% were men, 77% white, median age 29 years (interquartile range: 23–29 years) and 60% were men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2005, only 1 of 28 cases did not fit into travel or MSM categories and treatment guidelines were changed to recommend oral cefixime as the preferred agent in MSM or those with a travel history. Continuous rise in CRG together with locally acquired cases among heterosexuals resulted in ciprofloxacin being removed as a recommended agent for gonorrhea in 2007. Conclusions: Our data underscores the importance of surveillance in monitoring trends in AMR in gonorrhea so that timely changes to treatment recommendations can be made in response to changing epidemiology.

Impact of reverse sequence syphilis screening on new diagnoses of late latent syphilis in Edmonton, Canada.

After the introduction of reverse sequence syphilis screening in Alberta, Canada, there was an increase in the diagnosis of late latent syphilis in individuals screening positive with the treponemal test; these cases required additional public health follow-up.

Rubella immunity among pregnant women in a Canadian provincial screening program.

BACKGROUND There are limited recent data on rubella immunity in women of childbearing age in Canada. In the present paper, the proportion of rubella seroreactivity and redundant testing (testing of women previously seropositive when tested by the same physician) in the Alberta prenatal rubella screening program were studied. METHODS In the present retrospective observational study, data on all specimens submitted for prenatal screening in Alberta between August 2002 and December 2005 were extracted from the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health database. The proportion of rubella screening and immunoglobulin G (IgG) seroreactivity were determined. Demographic variables were compared between rubella seroreactors and nonseroreactors. The proportion of redundant testing was determined. RESULTS Of 159,046 prenatal specimens, 88.3% (n=140,473) were screened for rubella immunity. In total, 8.8% of specimens tested negative for rubella IgG. Younger women (23.2% of women younger than 20 years of age versus 4.7% of women between 35 and 39 years of age; P<0.001) and women from northern Alberta (11.9% versus 8.1% [overall]; P<0.001) were significantly more likely to have seronegative specimens. Of the 20,044 women who had multiple rubella immunity screenings, 88.1% (n=17,651) had multiple positive test results. In total, 20.7% of the 42,274 specimens submitted from women with multiple screenings were deemed redundant. DISCUSSION Younger women were most likely to be seronegative for rubella. The public health significance of women entering their childbearing years with low or undetectable rubella IgG levels remains to be determined. A large number of women with documented rubella immunity were unnecessarily retested.

Seroreversion of treponemal tests in infants meeting canadian surveillance criteria for confirmed early congenital syphilis.

Background: Few data exist on the serologic outcome of treponemal tests in congenital syphilis. Methods: A chart review was conducted on all confirmed early congenital syphilis cases in Edmonton, Canada, from 2005-2010. Results: Of the 16 cases identified, 11 (69%) infants seroreverted their treponemal tests by 18 months. Cases that did not serorevert their treponemal tests were statistically more likely to have delayed treatment and to have higher maternal rapid plasma reagin titers at birth. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the majority of early congenital syphilis cases will serorevert their treponemal tests by 18 months.

Use of Quantitative HIV RNA Detection for Early Diagnosis of HIV Infection in Infants and Acute HIV Infections in Alberta, Canada

ABSTRACT Quantitative HIV RNA viral load (QVL) assays (Roche Diagnostics) were sensitive and specific when used to diagnose HIV infection in (i) HIV-exposed infants (sensitivity of 100% [63.1 to 100%] and specificity of 100% [97.9 to 100%]) and (ii) suspected acute HIV infection patients with a negative/indeterminate Western blot (sensitivity of 97.6% [91.6 to 99.7%] and specificity of 100% [96.1 to 100%]). No false-positive QVL results were identified.

A Retrospective Review of Treatment Failures Using Azithromycin and Doxycycline in the Treatment of Rectal Chlamydia Infections in Women and Men Who Have Sex With Men.

We examined the prevalence of rectal chlamydia treatment failures in men who have sex with men and women attending Alberta sexually transmitted infection clinics. Among those completing a test of cure, there was no significant difference among patients treated initially with azithromycin (treatment failure, 39/460 [8.5%]; 95% confidence interval, 5.9%-11.0%) compared with patients treated with doxycycline (0/16; 95% confidence interval, 0%-0.2%; P = 0.63).

Prevalence and Correlates of HIV and Hepatitis B Virus Coinfection in Northern Alberta

BACKGROUND HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) share transmission routes, and coinfection is associated with higher morbidity and mortality. To date, no Canadian studies have examined HIV-HBV coinfection. OBJECTIVES To examine the prevalence and correlates of HIV and HBV coinfections in Northern Alberta. METHODS The present study was a retrospective database review of all HIV-infected (HIV+) individuals in Northern Alberta from 1982 to 2010 and a chart review of HBV surface antigen-positive individuals for whom charts were available (46.2%). RESULTS Of 2844 HIV+ patients, 2579 (90.7%) had been tested for HBV surface antigen, and 143 (5.5%) of these were HBV coinfected. Coinfected males were primarily Caucasian (70.8%), and coinfected females were primarily black (56.4%) or Aboriginal (31.3%). Coinfected individuals were more likely to be male (88.1% versus 71.3%; P<0.001) and to have died (34.3% versus 17.9%; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of coinfection with HBV in HIV-infected patients in Northern Alberta is lower than reported in other developed nations. The pattern of coinfections in Northern Alberta likely follows immigration trends. Recognition and management may be improving with time; however, further research and additional strategies are required to enhance the prevention, identification and management of HBV infection in HIV-infected individuals.

Trichomonas vaginalis Prevalence and Correlates in Women and Men Attending STI Clinics in Western Canada

Trichomonas vaginalis prevalence (2.8%) in female sexually transmitted infection clinic attendees was within the prevalence of chlamydia (5.8%) and gonorrhea (1.8%), while being very low for male attendees (0.2%). Correlates among women were indigenous ethnicity, other ethnicity, and being symptomatic.