Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, India

Objectives To describe the implementation of screening for cryptococcal antigenaemia by point-of-care (POC) serum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) lateral flow assay, measure the prevalence and factors associated with serum cryptococcal antigenaemia in the routine programmatic setting.Design Cross-sectio...

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Main Authors: Amit Harshana, Raman Mahajan, Reshu Agarwal, Shrikala Acharya, Amol Palkar, Ramesh Reddy Allam, Vijay Kumar Karanjkar, Dhirubhai Rathod, Prashant Deshpande, Shashikant Todmal, Sagar Koli, Sachin Dhande, Jayesh Dale, Vijay V Yeldandi, Sunita Upadhyaya, Melissa Nyendak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2023-06-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/6/e070500.full
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author Amit Harshana
Raman Mahajan
Reshu Agarwal
Shrikala Acharya
Amol Palkar
Ramesh Reddy Allam
Vijay Kumar Karanjkar
Dhirubhai Rathod
Prashant Deshpande
Shashikant Todmal
Sagar Koli
Sachin Dhande
Jayesh Dale
Vijay V Yeldandi
Sunita Upadhyaya
Melissa Nyendak
author_facet Amit Harshana
Raman Mahajan
Reshu Agarwal
Shrikala Acharya
Amol Palkar
Ramesh Reddy Allam
Vijay Kumar Karanjkar
Dhirubhai Rathod
Prashant Deshpande
Shashikant Todmal
Sagar Koli
Sachin Dhande
Jayesh Dale
Vijay V Yeldandi
Sunita Upadhyaya
Melissa Nyendak
author_sort Amit Harshana
collection DOAJ
description Objectives To describe the implementation of screening for cryptococcal antigenaemia by point-of-care (POC) serum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) lateral flow assay, measure the prevalence and factors associated with serum cryptococcal antigenaemia in the routine programmatic setting.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Seventeen publicly funded antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres in Mumbai, India.Participants Serum CrAg screening was offered to all adolescents (>10 years of age) and adults with advanced HIV disease (AHD) (CD4 <200 cells/mm3 or with WHO clinical stage III/IV) regardless of symptoms of cryptococcal meningitis.Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was to describe the implementation of serum CrAg screening and secondary outcome was to measure the prevalence of serum cryptococcal antigenaemia and its risk factors.Results A total of 2715 patients with AHD were tested for serum CrAg by POC assay. Of these, 25 (0.9%) had a CrAg positive result. Among CrAg-positive patients, only one had symptoms. Serum CrAg positivity was 3.6% (6/169) and 1.6% (6/520) among those presenting with CD4 <100 cells/mm3 in the treatment naïve and treatment experienced group, respectively. On multivariable analysis, CD4 count <100 cells/mm3 (OR: 2.3, 95% CI 1.01 to 5.3; p=0.05) and people living with HIV who were treatment naïve (OR: 2.5, 95% CI 1.04 to 6.0; p=0.04) were significantly associated with a positive serum CrAg result. Lumbar puncture was obtained in 20/25 patients within 4 days (range: 1–4 days) of positive serum CrAg result and one person was confirmed to have meningitis. All serum CrAg-positive patients who had a negative cerebrospinal fluid CrAg were offered pre-emptive therapy.Conclusions Implementation of a POC CrAg assay was possible with existing ART centre staff. Initiation of pre-emptive therapy and management of cryptococcal antigenaemia are operationally feasible at ART centres. The Indian National AIDS Control Programme may consider reflexive CrAg screening of all AHD patients with CD4 <100 cells/mm3.
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spelling doaj.art-ead81ea3ef2e45619b31eecd8ba0acd22023-08-09T23:05:07ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-06-0113610.1136/bmjopen-2022-070500Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, IndiaAmit Harshana0Raman Mahajan1Reshu Agarwal2Shrikala Acharya3Amol Palkar4Ramesh Reddy Allam5Vijay Kumar Karanjkar6Dhirubhai Rathod7Prashant Deshpande8Shashikant Todmal9Sagar Koli10Sachin Dhande11Jayesh Dale12Vijay V Yeldandi13Sunita Upadhyaya14Melissa Nyendak153 International Training and Education HIV (I-TECH), Delhi, India3 International Training and Education HIV (I-TECH), Delhi, India2 Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delhi, India1 Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society, Mumbai, India3 International Training and Education HIV (I-TECH), Delhi, India2 Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delhi, India1 Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society, Mumbai, India1 Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society, Mumbai, India1 Mumbai Districts AIDS Control Society, Mumbai, India3 International Training and Education HIV (I-TECH), Delhi, India3 International Training and Education HIV (I-TECH), Delhi, India3 International Training and Education HIV (I-TECH), Delhi, India4 SHARE INDIA, Hyderabad, India4 SHARE INDIA, Hyderabad, India2 Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delhi, India2 Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Delhi, IndiaObjectives To describe the implementation of screening for cryptococcal antigenaemia by point-of-care (POC) serum cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) lateral flow assay, measure the prevalence and factors associated with serum cryptococcal antigenaemia in the routine programmatic setting.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Seventeen publicly funded antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres in Mumbai, India.Participants Serum CrAg screening was offered to all adolescents (>10 years of age) and adults with advanced HIV disease (AHD) (CD4 <200 cells/mm3 or with WHO clinical stage III/IV) regardless of symptoms of cryptococcal meningitis.Primary and secondary outcome measures The primary outcome was to describe the implementation of serum CrAg screening and secondary outcome was to measure the prevalence of serum cryptococcal antigenaemia and its risk factors.Results A total of 2715 patients with AHD were tested for serum CrAg by POC assay. Of these, 25 (0.9%) had a CrAg positive result. Among CrAg-positive patients, only one had symptoms. Serum CrAg positivity was 3.6% (6/169) and 1.6% (6/520) among those presenting with CD4 <100 cells/mm3 in the treatment naïve and treatment experienced group, respectively. On multivariable analysis, CD4 count <100 cells/mm3 (OR: 2.3, 95% CI 1.01 to 5.3; p=0.05) and people living with HIV who were treatment naïve (OR: 2.5, 95% CI 1.04 to 6.0; p=0.04) were significantly associated with a positive serum CrAg result. Lumbar puncture was obtained in 20/25 patients within 4 days (range: 1–4 days) of positive serum CrAg result and one person was confirmed to have meningitis. All serum CrAg-positive patients who had a negative cerebrospinal fluid CrAg were offered pre-emptive therapy.Conclusions Implementation of a POC CrAg assay was possible with existing ART centre staff. Initiation of pre-emptive therapy and management of cryptococcal antigenaemia are operationally feasible at ART centres. The Indian National AIDS Control Programme may consider reflexive CrAg screening of all AHD patients with CD4 <100 cells/mm3.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/6/e070500.full
spellingShingle Amit Harshana
Raman Mahajan
Reshu Agarwal
Shrikala Acharya
Amol Palkar
Ramesh Reddy Allam
Vijay Kumar Karanjkar
Dhirubhai Rathod
Prashant Deshpande
Shashikant Todmal
Sagar Koli
Sachin Dhande
Jayesh Dale
Vijay V Yeldandi
Sunita Upadhyaya
Melissa Nyendak
Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, India
BMJ Open
title Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, India
title_full Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, India
title_fullStr Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, India
title_full_unstemmed Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, India
title_short Implementation of point-of-care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced HIV disease in Mumbai, India
title_sort implementation of point of care testing and prevalence of cryptococcal antigenaemia among patients with advanced hiv disease in mumbai india
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/6/e070500.full
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