Browsing by Author "Rauch A"

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Hepatitis B viral load in dried blood spots: A validation study in Zambia.
(2015-Nov) Vinikoor MJ; Zürcher S; Musukuma K; Kachuwaire O; Rauch A; Chi BH; Gorgievski M; Zwahlen M; Wandeler G; Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Bern, Switzerland.; Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Switzerland.; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland.; Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; School of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia. Electronic address: mjv3@uab.edu.; Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland; Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Dakar, Senegal.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; School of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; CIDRZ; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)
BACKGROUND: Access to hepatitis B viral load (VL) testing is poor in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) due to economic and logistical reasons. OBJECTIVES: To demonstrate the feasibility of testing dried blood spots (DBS) for hepatitis B virus (HBV) VL in a laboratory in Lusaka, Zambia, and to compare HBV VLs between DBS and plasma samples. STUDY DESIGN: Paired plasma and DBS samples from HIV-HBV co-infected Zambian adults were analyzed for HBV VL using the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HBV test (Version 2.0) and for HBV genotype by direct sequencing. We used Bland-Altman analysis to compare VLs between sample types and by genotype. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the probability of an undetectable DBS result by plasma VL. RESULTS: Among 68 participants, median age was 34 years, 61.8% were men, and median plasma HBV VL was 3.98logIU/ml (interquartile range, 2.04-5.95). Among sequenced viruses, 28 were genotype A1 and 27 were genotype E. Bland-Altman plots suggested strong agreement between DBS and plasma VLs. DBS VLs were on average 1.59logIU/ml lower than plasma with 95% limits of agreement of -2.40 to -0.83log IU/ml. At a plasma VL ≥2,000IU/ml, the probability of an undetectable DBS result was 1.8% (95% CI: 0.5-6.6). At plasma VL ≥20,000IU/ml this probability reduced to 0.2% (95% CI: 0.03-1.7). CONCLUSIONS: In a Zambian laboratory, we observed strong agreement between DBS and plasma VLs and high sensitivity in DBS at plasma VL ≥2,000IU/ml. As HBV treatment expands, DBS could increase access to HBV VL testing and care in SSA settings.
Liver fibrosis in treatment-naïve HIV-infected and HIV/HBV co-infected patients: Zambia and Switzerland compared.
(2016-Oct) Wandeler G; Mulenga L; Vinikoor MJ; Kovari H; Battegay M; Calmy A; Cavassini M; Bernasconi E; Schmid P; Bolton-Moore C; Sinkala E; Chi BH; Egger M; Rauch A; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Research, University of Cape Town, South Africa.; Division of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; Department of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.; Department of Infectious Diseases, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Electronic address: gilles.wandeler@ispm.unibe.ch.; Regional Hospital, Lugano, Switzerland.; Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland.; University Hospital Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.; Department of Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; Department of Infectious Diseases, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland.; University Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.; CIDRZ; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and liver fibrosis in HIV-infected patients in Zambia and Switzerland. METHODS: HIV-infected adults starting antiretroviral therapy in two clinics in Zambia and Switzerland were included. Liver fibrosis was evaluated using the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet-ratio index (APRI), with a ratio >1.5 defining significant fibrosis and a ratio >2.0 indicating cirrhosis. The association between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity, HBV replication, and liver fibrosis was examined using logistic regression. RESULTS: In Zambia, 96 (13.0%) of 739 patients were HBsAg-positive compared to 93 (4.5%) of 2058 in Switzerland. HBsAg-positive patients were more likely to have significant liver fibrosis than HBsAg-negative ones: the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 3.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.44-7.33) in Zambia and 2.50 (95% CI 1.19-5.25) in Switzerland. Patients with a high HBV viral load (≥20000 IU/ml) were more likely to have significant liver fibrosis compared to HBsAg-negative patients or patients with an undetectable viral load: aOR 3.85 (95% CI 1.29-11.44) in Zambia and 4.20 (95% CI 1.64-10.76) in Switzerland. In both settings, male sex was a strong risk factor for significant liver fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the differences in HBV natural history between Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, the degree of liver fibrosis and the association with important risk factors were similar.
Liver steatosis and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease among HIV-positive and negative adults in urban Zambia.
(2022-Jul) Chihota BV; Riebensahm C; Muula G; Sinkala E; Chilengi R; Mulenga L; Bosomprah S; Vinikoor MJ; Bolton-Moore C; Egger M; Rauch A; Berzigotti A; Wandeler G; Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.; Graduate School of Health Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.; Department of Medicine, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.; Department of Infectious Diseases, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.; Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.; Department of Biostatistics, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.; Department of Internal Medicine, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.; Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia belinda.chihota@cidrz.org.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia.; Centre for Infectious Disease Research, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.; CIDRZ; Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ)
INTRODUCTION: The growing importance of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and high HIV prevalence in urban African settings may increase the burden of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). We assessed liver steatosis among HIV-positive and negative adults in urban Zambia. METHODS: Adults 30 years and older who were newly diagnosed with HIV, or tested HIV-negative at two primary care clinics in Lusaka, Zambia, were assessed for liver steatosis. Cardiometabolic data were collected through comprehensive clinical and laboratory assessments. Transient elastography was performed to measure controlled-attenuation parameter (≥248 dB/m). We used multivariable logistic regression models to determine the factors associated with the presence of steatosis. RESULTS: We enrolled 381 patients, including 154 (40%) antiretroviral therapy-naïve people living with HIV (PLWH) with a median CD4+ count of 247 cells/mm CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of liver steatosis in this urban cohort of HIV-positive and negative adults in Zambia was low, despite a large proportion of patients with high BMI and central obesity. Our study is among the first to report data on MAFLD among adults in Africa, demonstrating that metabolic risk factors are key drivers of liver steatosis and supporting the adoption of the criteria for MAFLD in African populations.