Mapping HIV-linked infections unearths diagnosis 'blank spots' in Africa – Medical Xpress

Click here to sign in with or
Forget Password?
Learn more
share this!
Share
Twit
Share
Email
January 30, 2025
This article has been reviewed according to Science X’s editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content’s credibility:
fact-checked
peer-reviewed publication
trusted source
proofread
by City St George’s, University of London
A map of deadly infectious diseases known to attack the central nervous system (CNS) of people who are already suffering with HIV has unearthed diagnosis “blank spots” in Africa, according to research published today in The Lancet Global Health.
The researchers say that these new insights should help form the backbone of initiatives to provide tailored packages of care in order to drive-down the number of deaths caused by HIV.
Every year, an estimated 630,000 people in Africa die of HIV-related conditions, with around one third of these caused by bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections that attack the CNS.
Cryptococcal meningitis—due to a fungal infection of the meninges that cover the brain—has long been considered as the leading cause of deaths linked to the CNS. But the study co-designed by Dr. Angela Loyse at City St George’s, University of London, Dr. Cecilia Kanyama at UNC Project, Lilongwe Malawi, and colleagues from The National Institute of Medical Research in Tanzania, Hôpital Central in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Lighthouse Trust in Malawi, The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Institut Pasteur in Paris, have unveiled potential regional differences for the first time.
A total of 356 people living with HIV with suspected CNS infections were studied in five public hospitals across Malawi, Tanzania and Cameroon as part of the “DREAMM’ project.
The DREAMM project looked at the impact of revamping laboratory and clinical facilities for faster diagnosis and tailored treatment on admission to hospital, including more thorough training opportunities for frontline health care workers and lab technicians.
This holistic and pragmatic approach, which is tailored to resource-limited settings, accurately diagnosed 75% of CNS infections (269 of the 356 study participants). The team then measured the number of people living with the four main causes of HIV-related CNS infection: cryptococcal meningitis, tuberculous meningitis, bacterial meningitis, and cerebral toxoplasmosis.
Cryptococcal meningitis was the leading cause of CNS infection overall, which was responsible for 55% of all infections. It was the most common cause in Tanzania (60% of infections) and Malawi (53%). However, cerebral toxoplasmosis—a parasitic infection of the brain—was the leading cause of CNS infection in Cameroon at 43%, despite not being prevalent in the other countries.
The second most common cause of infection were CNS-linked tuberculosis in Tanzania (29%), bacterial meningitis in Malawi (19%) and cryptococcal meningitis in Cameroon (40%).
Dr. Angela Loyse, lead of the study and Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases at City St George’s, University of London, said, “Our data is incredibly valuable to tackle these blank spots in diagnosis and care. It tells us that unless diagnoses like cerebral toxoplasmosis are looked for and treated, then avoidable HIV-related deaths will continue.
“This is a snippet of the picture across Africa. We now need more data like this to fully map-out the causes of CNS infections so that we end HIV-related deaths and meet the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Dr. Cecilia Kanyama, DREAMM African Principal Investigator for Malawi, based at UNC Project Malawi, Lilongwe, said, “Within the DREAMM study, we proved that strengthening routine care in African public hospitals slashed HIV-linked meningitis deaths in half. The hope is that we can combine that work with our new prevailing insights to provide tailored packages of care that will ultimately tackle the high death rates caused by these diseases.”
More information: Cecilia Kanyama et al, Causes of HIV-related CNS infection in Cameroon, Malawi, and Tanzania: epidemiological findings from the DREAMM HIV-related CNS implementation study, The Lancet Global Health (2025). DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(24)00472-8

Explore further
Facebook
Twitter
Email
Feedback to editors
Jan 29, 2025
0
Jan 27, 2025
0
Jan 25, 2025
0
Jan 24, 2025
0
Jan 24, 2025
0
3 minutes ago
5 minutes ago
18 minutes ago
30 minutes ago
35 minutes ago
47 minutes ago
1 hour ago
1 hour ago
2 hours ago
2 hours ago
Oct 5, 2023
Jul 22, 2021
Mar 15, 2018
May 21, 2019
Mar 24, 2022
Sep 4, 2024
1 hour ago
2 hours ago
6 hours ago
17 hours ago
18 hours ago
22 hours ago
A mapping of CNS infections in HIV patients in Africa has identified diagnostic gaps. The study examined 356 patients across Malawi, Tanzania, and Cameroon, revealing regional differences in infection causes. Cryptococcal meningitis was the most common CNS infection overall, but cerebral toxoplasmosis was prevalent in Cameroon. The study’s approach improved diagnosis accuracy to 75%, highlighting the need for tailored care to reduce HIV-related deaths.
This summary was automatically generated using LLM. Full disclaimer
Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form. For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines).
Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request
Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.
Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.
Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient’s address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Medical Xpress in any form.

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we’ll never share your details to third parties.
More information Privacy policy
We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X’s mission by getting a premium account.
Daily science news on research developments and the latest scientific innovations
The latest engineering, electronics and technology advances
The most comprehensive sci-tech news coverage on the web

source

About The Author

admin

See author's posts