Browsing by Author "Sloot, Rosa"

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    Factors associated with linkage to HIV care and TB treatment at community-based HIV testing services in Cape Town, South Africa
    (Public Library of Science, 2018-04-02) Meehan, Sue-Ann; Sloot, Rosa; Draper, Heather R.; Naidoo, Pren; Burger, Ronelle; Beyers, Nulda
    Background Diagnosing HIV and/or TB is not sufficient; linkage to care and treatment is conditional to reduce the burden of disease. This study aimed to determine factors associated with linkage to HIV care and TB treatment at community-based services in Cape Town, South Africa. Methods This retrospective cohort study utilized routinely collected data from clients who utilized stand-alone (fixed site not attached to a health facility) and mobile HIV testing services in eight communities in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan district, between January 2008 and June 2012. Clients were included in the analysis if they were ≥12 years and had a known HIV status. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) logistic regression models were used to assess the association between determinants (sex, age, HIV testing service and co-infection status) and self-reported linkage to HIV care and/or TB treatment. Results Linkage to HIV care was 3 738/5 929 (63.1%). Linkage to HIV care was associated with the type of HIV testing service. Clients diagnosed with HIV at mobile services had a significantly reduced odds of linking to HIV care (aOR 0.7 (CI 95%: 0.6–0.8), p<0.001. Linkage to TB treatment was 210/275 (76.4%). Linkage to TB treatment was not associated with sex and service type, but was associated with age. Clients in older age groups were less likely to link to TB treatment compared to clients in the age group 12–24 years (all, p-value<0.05). Conclusion A large proportion of clients diagnosed with HIV at mobile services did not link to care. Almost a quarter of clients diagnosed with TB did not link to treatment. Integrated community-based HIV and TB testing services are efficient in diagnosing HIV and TB, but strategies to improve linkage to care are required to control these epidemics.
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    Interpretation of serial interferon-gamma test results to measure new tuberculosis infection among household contacts in Zambia and South Africa
    (BioMed Central, 2020-10-15) Sloot, Rosa; Shanaube, Kwame; Claassens, Mareli; Telisinghe, Lily; Schaap, Ab; Godfrey-Faussett, Peter; Ayles, Helen; Floyd, Sian
    Background: A more stringent QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) conversion (from negative to positive) definition has been proposed to allow more definite detection of recent tuberculosis (TB) infection. We explored alternative conversion definitions to assist the interpretation of serial QFT results and estimate incidence of TB infection in a large cohort study. Methods: We used QFT serial results from TB household contacts aged ≥15 years, collected at baseline and during two follow-up visits (2006–2011) as part of a cohort study in 24 communities in Zambia and South Africa (SA). Conversion rates using the manufacturers’ definition (interferon-gamma (IFN-g) < 0.35 to ≥0.35, ‘def1’) were compared with stricter definitions (IFN-g < 0.2 to ≥0.7 IU/ml, ‘def2’; IFN-g < 0.2 to ≥1.05 IU/ml, ‘def3’; IFN-g < 0.2 to ≥1.4 IU/ml, ‘def4’). Poisson regression was used for analysis. Results: One thousand three hundred sixty-five individuals in Zambia and 822 in SA had QFT results available. Among HIV-negative individuals, the QFT conversion rate was 27.4 per 100 person-years (CI:22.9–32.6) using def1, 19.0 using def2 (CI:15.2–23.7), 14.7 using def3 (CI:11.5–18.8), and 12.0 using def4 (CI:9.2–15.7). Relative differences across def1-def4 were similar in Zambia and SA. Using def1, conversion was less likely if HIV positive not on antiretroviral treatment compared to HIV negative (aRR = 0.7, 95%CI = 0.4–0.9), in analysis including both countries. The same direction of associations were found using def 2–4. Conclusion: High conversion rates were found even with the strictest definition, indicating high incidence of TB infection among household contacts of TB patients in these communities. The trade-off between sensitivity and specificity using different thresholds of QFT conversion remains unknown due to the absence of a reference standard. However, we identified boundaries within which an appropriate definition might fall, and our strictest definition plausibly has high specificity.
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    Rapid point-of-care CD4 testing at mobile units and linkage to HIV care : an evaluation of community-based mobile HIV testing services in South Africa
    (BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2020) Sloot, Rosa; Glenshaw, Mary T.; Van Niekerk, Margaret; Meehan, Sue-Ann
    Background: Mobile HIV testing services (HTS) are effective at reaching undiagnosed people living with HIV. However, linkage to HIV care from mobile HTS is often poor, ranging from 10 to 60%. Point-of-care (POC) CD4 testing has shown to increase retention in health facilities, but little evidence exists about their use in mobile HTS. This study assessed the feasibility of POC CD4 test implementation and investigated linkage to HIV care among clients accepting a POC test at community-based mobile HTS. Methods: This retrospective study used routinely collected data from clients who utilized community-based mobile HTS in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan district, South Africa between December 2014 and September 2016. A POC CD4 test was offered to all clients with an HIV positive diagnosis during this period, and a CD4 cell count was provided to clients accepting a POC CD4 test. Random effects logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with POC CD4 test uptake and self-reported linkage to care among clients accepting a POC test. Models were adjusted for sex, age, previous HIV test done, tuberculosis status and year of HIV diagnosis. Results: One thousand three hundred twenty-five of Thirty-nine thousand seven hundred ninety clients utilizing mobile HTS tested HIV positive (3%). 51% (679/1325) accepted a POC test. The age group with the highest proportion accepting a POC test was 50+ years (60%). Females were less likely to accept a POC test than males (odds ratio = 0.7, 95%CI = 0.6–0.8). Median CD4 count was 429 cells/μl (interquartile range = 290–584). Among 679 clients who accepted a POC CD4 test, 491 (72%) linked to HIV care. CD4 cell count was not associated with linkage to care. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that mobile HTS can identify early HIV infection, and show that a high proportion of clients with a POC test result linked to care. Future research should assess factors associated with POC test acceptance and assess the impact of POC CD4 testing in comparison to alternative strategies to engage HIV positive people in care.