Category Archives: Co-infections
Diagnostic performance of the HCV core Antigen test to identify hepatitis C in HIV-infected patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
The standard algorithm for diagnosing hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has two steps, an HCV antibody test for screening and a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for confirmation. However, the...
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology of Leptospirosis in HIV uninfected and in people living with HIV from the Southern African Development Community
BACKGROUND: Leptospirosis is an occupational, neglected febrile disease of bacterial origin transmitted between humans and animals. In this manuscript we summarize available data on Leptospira infection in HIV uninfected and...
Cervical human papillomavirus genotypes in a high HIV setting: A scoping review of a decade of human papillomavirus epidemiological research in Botswana
Cervical cancer burden is still high in low- and middle-income countries, including Botswana. Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the leading cause of cervical cancer. Accurate knowledge of HPV diversity...
Characterizing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV PrEP care: A review and synthesis of the literature
The global COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures have caused disruptions to sexual health services and created additional barriers to the continuity of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among key populations....
Associations between the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B among people who inject drugs and country-level characteristics: An ecological analysis
Introduction: Globally, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a leading cause of liver disease. People who inject drugs (PWID) are at greater risk than the general population of contracting HBV. This risk...
Isoniazid preventive therapy for prevention of tuberculosis among people living with HIV in ethiopia: A systematic review of implementation and impacts
BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV (PLWHIV). Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) prevents TB in PLWHIV, but estimates of its effects...
Anti-cytomegalovirus preemptive therapy to prevent cytomegalovirus disease in HIV-infected patients: A systematic review
BACKGROUND: HIV patients are at higher risk of contracting and developing into an asymptomatic form of CMV infection. This review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of preemptive therapy...
The impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on service delivery and treatment outcomes in people living with HIV: A systematic review
INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 epidemic and various control and mitigation measures to combat the widespread outbreak of the disease may affect other parts of health care systems. There is a concern...
Web-based service provision of HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infection prevention, testing, linkage, and treatment for key populations: Systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Despite the growth of web-based interventions for HIV, viral hepatitis (VH), and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for key populations, the evidence for the effectiveness of these interventions has not...
Toxoplasma gondii infection in immunocompromised patients in Iran (2013–2022): A systematic review and meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Toxoplasma gondii infection (toxoplasmosis) has the potential to cause a serious disease in immunocompromised patients and can be fatal in this population. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis...
A scoping review on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community and factors fostering its refusal
BACKGROUND: The ramifications of the existing crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic are sensed in all walks of life. Among the various efforts made to curb the spread of this...
Determining the screening frequency for sexually transmitted infections for people who use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends ‘frequent’ screening of sexually transmitted infections (STI) for people who use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV, there is no evidence for optimal frequency....
