Research
Evidence to Support Repeat Third Trimester HIV Testing for Pregnant Women
The authors report on 3 cases of perinatal HIV infection in central Ohio. The mothers all had negative first trimester HIV test results and were not re-screened in the third trimester of pregnancy. All had risk factors for HIV infection of which they were unaware. The authors suggest considering…
Factors Related to In-Utero HIV Mother to Child Transmission
In developing nations, most interventions to prevent HIV-1 MTCT target the transmission that occurs either at the time of delivery or during the infant breast-feeding period. In-utero transmission (transmission that occurs before the baby has been born) accounts for 20-30% of HIV-1 infected infants…
Factors Associated with MTCT of HIV Despite Optimal Conditions
The rate of MTCT of HIV-1 among mothers who delivered in the French Perinatal Cohort between 1997 and 2006 was 1.5%. Even when optimal conditions were met-- meaning a term delivery of 37 weeks or more to a mother receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), with the last maternal viral load at or prior…
Use of the Rapid HIV Test for Third Trimester Screening
A study conducted in an ambulatory obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Philadelphia, PA revealed that 95% of women agreed to be rescreened with a rapid HIV test in the third trimester of pregnancy. Of the participants, 91% reported the rapid HIV test was less stressful than conventional testing…
Premasticated Food for Infants Potential HIV Risk
This study reviews three cases in the United States where perinatal transmission of HIV has been ruled out, but infants have been diagnosed with "late" HIV transmission. In each, case a parent or caregiver routinely fed premasticated food to the child and epidemiologically, it has been…
Benefits of Early Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy
Study finds improved survival in patients receiving early antiretroviral therapy as compared to those in the deferred therapy group. Citation: Kitahata MM, Gange SJ, Abraham AG, et al. Effect of early versus deferred antiretroviral therapy for HIV on survival. N Engl J Med. 2009 Apr 1.…
Early Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Infant Mortality
Early diagnosis of HIV and early antiretroviral therapy reduced infant mortality and HIV progression in the Children with HIV Early Antiretroviral Therapy (CHER) trial. Citation: Violari A, Paed FC, Cotton MF, Gibb DM, Babiker AG, Steyn J, Madhi SA, Paed FC, Jean-Philippe P, McIntyre JA, CHER…
Mothers on the Margins
This study utilized a high-risk group of HIV-infected mothers as expert informants on childbearing with HIV to inform strategies to eradicate perinatal HIV transmission. Citation: Lindau ST, Jerome J, Miller K, Monk E, Garcia P, Cohen M. Mothers on the margins: implications for eradicating…