Research
Women's Health Care and Promotion of PrEP for HIV Prevention
Providers should have the discussion around HIV prevention with all sexually active female patients and should include preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) as part of that discussion. Providers should also engage in shared decision-making with patients and review fertility desires and contraceptive…
Prenatal Care, Timing of Diagnosis, and HIV Outcomes in Pregnancy
Researchers retrospectively examined mother-child pairs in Philadelphia between 2005-2013 for timing of diagnosis of HIV and the relationship to engagement in prenatal care and ultimately, viral suppression. Of the 25% of the sample that was diagnosed with HIV during pregnancy, only 39% were…
Preconception Counseling for Women Living with HIV
Researchers in Florida sampled both behaviorally and perinatally HIV-infected women to determine their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors around conception and risk behaviors. Although there were some minor differences between the groups, researchers determined that preconception counseling is…
Postpartum Depression and Disclosure of HIV Status
Researchers in this retrospective cohort study looked at whether disclosure of a woman's HIV status to a partner or family member prior to delivery is associated with the risk of early postpartum depression. Disclosure to one or more family members was associated with a decreased risk of…
Preeclampsia and HIV
In a large scale, retrospective cohort study, researchers found an increased risk of preeclampsia in HIV-positive pregnant women compared to those that were HIV-negative. Additionally, those on ARVs during pregnancy showed a higher risk compared with those who were not on ARVs during pregnancy…
Perinatal HIV Remission Possibilities
HIV-infected infants that are started on ARVs early show low levels of replication-competent provirus, an absence of HIV-specific immunity, and the capacity to generate immune responses to potential immunotherapeutic interventions according to recent research. Current studies are examining ways…
Do Financial Incentives Increase HIV Care Engagement and Retention?
Successful HIV care involves getting tested, initiating care, remaining in care, and taking ARVs as needed. Movement through the HIV care cascade may be helped by the use of financial incentives that reward patients for completing steps in the cascade. Researchers reviewed the literature for use…
HIV Viral Load During Pregnancy Impacted by Time of Diagnosis and Prenatal Care
A retrospective review of HIV-positive women who delivered in Philadelphia between 2005-2013 found that women who were diagnosed HIV-positive during pregnancy were less likely to receive antiretroviral therapy and have an undetectable viral load than those diagnosed prior to pregnancy. …
FDA Approves Test to Distinguish Type of HIV Infection
The BioPlex 2200 HIV Ag-Ab assay has been approved by the FDA for use in distinguishing between HIV-1 antibodies, HIV-2 antibodies and the HIV-1 p24 antigen.This is approved for use in pregnant women and is another tool to aid in prevention of perinatal transmission.
Press Release
HIV Remission for Perinatally Infected Patient
A presentation at this year's International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention shared data on a patient who was diagnosed HIV-positive at 4 weeks of age, started on ART at 3 months of age (with a high viral load), and achieved an undetectable viral load…
Use of ART Prior to Conception Results in No Perinatal Transmission
Researchers with the French Perinatal Cohort (ANRS-EPF) determined that perinatal HIV transmission rate in their population was zero for women who were on ART prior to conception, continued throughout pregnancy and had an undetectable viral load at delivery. For women who started ART prior to…
HIV, Pregnancy and Mental Health
This literature review looked at the mental health variables from studies involving HIV-positive women both during pregnancy and postpartum. Globally, it was found that mental health issues, especially depression, are prevalent in HIV-positive women and can adversely affect their quality of life…
Infant HIV Testing and Experiences of Mothers
HIV-infected women are informed at/or prior to delivery that their infants will have to undergo serial testing to determine if they have contracted HIV. This process can bring up a variety of feelings and experiences for mothers, not limited to anxiety and guilt. In a series of…
Factors Contributing to High Rates of Perinatal HIV Transmission
Perinatal HIV has yet to be eliminated in the United States due to a number of factors. Researchers did a chart review to determine what factors contribute to higher rates of transmission. As might be expected, lack of prenatal care and limited to no use of antiretroviral therapy…
PrEP for HIV Prevention and Hormonal Contraceptive Use
The efficacy of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-1 prevention has been demonstrated amongst serodiscordant couples. Researchers in this study wanted to determine that couples where the woman (whether HIV-negative or HIV-positive) used the hormonal contraceptive depot…
Very Early Treatment (VET) to Prevent Infant HIV
Researchers discuss the feasibility and limitations of very early treatment (VET) for infants perinatally infected with HIV-1, using the Mississippi child as the demonstration case. VET is highlighted as a possibility for HIV remission for the pediatric population and while not yet…
Perinatal Transmission Higher in Women with Incident HIV
A meta-analysis done by researchers in Washington found that the pooled perinatal transmission rate was 22.7% among pregnant and postpartum women worldwide with incident HIV, which is 2.8-fold higher than women with chronic HIV infection. This is significant for the prevention of perinatal…
"Mississippi Baby" Shows Detectable Levels of HIV
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the child known as the "Mississippi Baby" - an infant seemingly cured of HIV that was reported as a case study of a prolonged remission of HIV infection in The New England Journal of Medicine last fall—now has detectable…
Repeat Third Trimester HIV Testing Uptake
Acceptability and feasibility of third trimester repeat HIV testing was explored following two documented cases of HIV seroconversion during pregnancy. Researchers found that most women were amenable to repeat third trimester HIV testing with the acceptance rate at 97.1%. No women were identified…
Review of HIV Screening in Hospital Labor and Deliveries
In order to estimate prenatal HIV screening rates prior to and on admission to labor and delivery as well as review hospital policies around these practices, researchers conducted a survey of hospitals and maternal/infant medical records in 2006. At that time, only 36% of hospitals had a…
Challenges Towards Elimination of Perinatal HIV in the US
Although perinatal HIV transmission is nearly zero in many groups throughout the United States, there are still those groups that are seeing consistently high rates of transmission. Researchers looked at HIV-exposed infants referred for follow-up care over a seven year period and found…
Revised HIV Surveillance Case Definition
The CDC and The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists have revised and combined the surveillance case definitions for HIV infection into a single case definition for persons of all ages and includes the most recent laboratory criteria and multitest algorithms. Further information…
Using Financial Incentives to Motivate Perinatally-Infected Youth to Adhere to Medications
Past research has shown that financial incentives are effective in improving adherence to medication regimines. Researchers tested this technique with adolescents who were perinatally-infected with HIV and have had poor adherence in the past. The pilot project showed that financial…
New HIV Testing Algorithm and Detection of Acute HIV
The MMWR reported in its June 21, 2013 issue about a new testing algorithm evaluated in an ED and other sites to determine effectiveness of HIV detection, especially in cases of acute HIV infection. Whereas traditional testing algorithms may miss cases of acute HIV due to …
Rapid Point-of-Care HIV Tests versus Lab Tests
Researchers looked at the varied performace of rapid point-of-care HIV tests versus traditional laboratory testing in detecting both new/acute and established HIV infections. While some rapid tests were found to perform well, oral fluid rapid tests were found to have less accuracy in…