INTRODUCTION Serological and molecular HIV-1 studies in Cuba have shown very low prevalence of seropositivity, but an increasing genetic diversity attributable to introduction of many HIV-1 variants from different areas, exchange of such variants among HIV-positive people with several coinciding routes of infection and other epidemio­logic risk factors in the seropositive population. The high HIV-1 genetic variability observed in Cuba has possible implications for transmission and clinical progression.

OBJECTIVE Study genetic variability for the HIV-1 env, gag and pol structural genes in Cuba; determine the prevalence of B and non-B subtypes according to epidemiologic and behavioral variables and determine whether a relationship exists between genetic variability and transmissibility, and between genetic variability and clinical dis­ease progression in people living with HIV/AIDS.

METHODS Using two molecular assays (heteroduplex mobility assay and nucleic acid sequencing), structural genes were characterized in 590 people with HIV-1 (480 men and 110 women), accounting for 3.4% of seropositive individuals in Cuba as of December 31, 2013. Nonrandom sampling, proportional to HIV prevalence by province, was conducted. Relationships between molecular results and viral factors, host characteristics, and patients’ clinical, epidemiologic and behavioral variables were studied for molecular epidemiology, trans­mission, and progression analyses.

RESULTS Molecular analysis of the three HIV-1 structural genes clas­sified 297 samples as subtype B (50.3%), 269 as non-B subtypes (45.6%) and 24 were not typeable. Subtype B prevailed overall and in men, mainly in those who have sex with men. Non-B subtypes were prevalent in women and heterosexual men, showing multiple circulating variants and recombinant forms. Sexual transmission was the predominant form of infection for all. B and non-B subtypes were encountered throughout Cuba. No association was found between subtypes and transmission or clinical progression, although the pro­portion of deaths was higher for subtype B. Among those who died during the study period, there were no differences between subtypes in the mean time from HIV or AIDS diagnosis to death.

CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that B and non-B HIV-1 sub­types found in Cuba do not differ in transmissibility and in clinical dis­ease progression.

KEYWORDS HIV-1, AIDS, molecular epidemiology, transmissibility, clinical progression, subtypes, circulating recombinant forms, patho­genesis, Cuba

INTRODUCTION In recent years, global initiatives to address the AIDS epidemic have produced promising advances through access to effective treatment programs. However, lack of adherence to antiretroviral therapy is a problem for pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVE Explore antiretroviral therapy adherence in children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS in Cuba and examine its relationship with psychosocial, individual and treatment factors.

METHODS A qualitative study was carried out of 21 caregivers of children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS. Demographics and information on treatment regimen were collected by chart review. In-depth interviews were conducted to assess adherence and examine its relationship with psychosocial, individual and treatment factors. Interviews were transcribed and the information was grouped by factor category. Adherence was analyzed in relation to these three sets of factors.

RESULTS Caregivers interviewed reported adequate adherence in 17 of the 21 children. Lack of adherence was linked primarily to psychosocial factors such as additional responsibility taken on by the caregiver while grappling with his or her own illness, the presence of untreated psychological symptoms in the caregiver, perceived difficulties with family support, the child’s age, and assigning treatment responsibilities to the child without taking into account his/her psychological maturity.

CONCLUSIONS The study revealed a high level of antiretroviral therapy adherence. It reconfirmed the fundamental importance of the caregiver and family support for therapeutic success in children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS. These results, as well as the factors identified in cases of nonadherence, can contribute to a framework for assessment and specialized interventions to optimize pediatric antiretroviral adherence.

KEYWORDS HIV, AIDS, antiretroviral therapy, patient adherence, patient compliance, patient nonadherence, treatment adherence, treatment compliance, treatment nonadherence, Cuba

INTRODUCTION Women are being diagnosed with HIV infection in increasing numbers, and now account for 50% of cases worldwide. In Cuba, HIV is more frequent in men, but in recent years, a growing number of women have been diagnosed.

OBJECTIVE Describe patterns of HIV among women in Havana, Cuba, 1986–2011.

METHODS Descriptive study of women with HIV aged >14 years, residents of Havana, Cuba, who were diagnosed with HIV from 1 January 1986 through 31 December 2011. Information was obtained from the limited-access HIV/AIDS database of Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health. Data were studied from all reported cases, a total of 1274 women. Variables selected were age at diagnosis, education, municipality of residence, screening group, year of HIV diagnosis, late presentation, AIDS-defining condition, year of diagnosis as AIDS case, vital status at the end of 2011, and year of death (if applicable). Incidence of HIV and AIDS, cumulative incidence by municipality of residence, and case fatality rates were calculated.

RESULTS Those aged 20–29 years were most affected by HIV. Almost half (46.7%) the women had completed middle school, and a further 35.4% had completed high school or middle-level technical studies. HIV incidence began to increase more steeply starting in 1998, as did AIDS incidence by year of diagnosis, though to a lesser extent. Central Havana and Old Havana municipalities had the highest cumulative incidence. Late presentation was seen in 7.4% of cases; mean age of those diagnosed late was 38.9 years. Wasting syndrome and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia were the most frequent AIDS-defining conditions. Case fatality rates started to decline in 1998.

CONCLUSIONS HIV infection in women is occurring in a predominantly young, relatively well-educated population. Increasing rates of HIV and AIDS in the past decade are a warning sign of the possible expansion of HIV infection in women, even though mortality is declining.

KEYWORDS Human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, AIDS, HIV infections, women, delayed diagnosis, Cuba

AIDS is a major cause of death in the Caribbean, a region with a high prevalence of HIV. However, prevalence in Cuba’s population aged 15 to 49 years, despite a slight increase in recent years, is considered extremely low (0.1%). At the close of 2010, 5692 Cuban patients were receiving antiretroviral therapy. SIDATRAT, an informatics system, was developed at the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute in Havana to ensure proper monitoring and followup of drug administration. Functioning on a web platform utilizing an Apache server, PHP and MySQL, it records patients’ general information, CD4 counts, viral load and data from other laboratory tests, as well as endoscopic and imaging studies. It also compiles information on their AIDS classification, opportunistic infections, HIV subtype and resistance studies, followup consultations, drug regimen, adverse reactions to medications, changes in drug combinations, and survival; and tracks total number of individuals under treatment. SIDATRAT follows the client-server philosophy and enables access by authorized users throughout Cuba via the health informatics network. SIDATRAT has been found effective in supporting quality care for persons living with HIV/AIDS and universal access to antiretroviral therapy, compiling most of the information needed for decisionmaking on patient health and therapies. SIDATRAT has been offered to the UNDP office in Havana for sharing with other developing countries that may wish to adapt or implement it.

This article addresses an emerging issue in health care systems: the impact of judicial rulings on public policy regarding financing and delivery of health care services, and the attendant tensions, contradictions and questions. In Colombia, HIV/AIDS patients’ use of a legal instrument called tutela, or writ of protection, has produced abundant jurisprudence and prompted health authorities to respond with decisions about HIV/AIDS service coverage that do not consider epidemiologic criteria and sustainability, introducing distortions in the health care system with respect to financing, priority-setting and universality.

KEYWORDS Health care systems, HIV, AIDS, legislation and jurisprudence, rights, universal coverage, Colombia

INTRODUCTION Co-infections between hepatitis B and HIV viruses are frequent due to their similar epidemiological characteristics. Worldwide, hepatitis B infection is one of the main causes of hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis. In Cuba as elsewhere, prevalences of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral infections are higher in persons with HIV. These hepatitis viruses act as opportunistic infections in persons with HIV. In other contexts, persons with HIV have been found to be at higher risk for occult hepatitis B, defined as the presence in serum or plasma of hepatitis B virus DNA and antibodies to its core antigen, in the absence of hepatitis B surface antigen.

OBJECTIVES Describe occult hepatitis B prevalence in Cuban HIV-positive patients and explore possible associations with their clinical characteristics.

METHODS A total of 325 serum samples from patients positive for HIV and negative for hepatitis B surface antigen were studied, divided into two groups, Group 1, negative for hepatitis C virus; and Group 2, positive for hepatitis C virus. Exposure to hepatitis B was determined by testing for hepatitis B core antigen; samples positive for hepatitis B core antigen were then examined for presence of antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen. Both determinations were done by ultramicroELISA. In samples positive for hepatitis B core antigen with levels of antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen of <50 IU/L, real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect hepatitis B DNA and its presence examined in relation to several clinical variables. All data were obtained from patients’ clinical records.

RESULTS In the hepatitis-C–negative group, 27.9% (68/243) of serum samples tested were positive for hepatitis B core antigen. In the hepatitis-C–positive group, 37.8% (31/82) were positive for hepatitis B core antigen. Total hepatitis B virus exposure prevalence was 30.4% (99/325); 54.5% (54/99) showing low immunity (hepatitis B virus surface antigen <50 IU/L) and 24% of these (13/54), occult hepatitis. There was no statistically significant association between hepatitis B virus DNA and any of the clinical variables studied.

CONCLUSIONS Low-immunity HIV-positive persons in our study were exposed to hepatitis B virus. Diagnosis of occult hepatitis B infection is frequent in these patients. This study suggests that diagnostic protocols for persons with HIV and without hepatitis B surface antigen should include testing for hepatitis B core antigen, with positive results followed by molecular techniques to detect occult hepatitis B. This study makes a useful contribution to prevention and control of hepatitis B in Cuba.

KEYWORDS Hepatitis B, hepatitis B antigens, hepatitis C, AIDS, AIDS-related opportunistic infections, Cuba

INTRODUCTION The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy has reduced progression to AIDS and increased survival among seropositive persons; yet, appearance of resistant viruses may jeopardize these benefits. In Cuba, HIV mainly affects adults; at the end of 2009 of the 41 children infected, 25 were still alive; of these, 22 were under antiretroviral treatment. Until now, nothing was known about HIV-1 antiviral resistance and viral subtypes in the pediatric population in Cuba.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to identify presence of antiretroviral-resistant HIV-1 strains in Cuban children and their mothers, and to provide a phylogenetic characterization and comparison of pol gene sequences in the same.

METHODS Plasma samples were collected from 22 children and their mothers, all HIV-1–infected, from 2004 through 2009. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the pol gene fragment coding for HIV protease and reverse transcriptase enzymes; this was then sequenced and subjected to phylogenetic analysis of HIV subtypes and recombinant forms to compare sequences between mothers and children. HIV mutations conferring antiretroviral resistance were determined.

RESULTS Viral amplification was achieved in samples from 11 children and 8 mothers. Subtypes detected were: CRF19_cpx in five children, subtype B in three, CRF18_cpx in two, and subtype C in one child. In all mother–child pairs, samples were grouped within the same viral subtype in the phylogenetic tree. One mother was under treatment and five children had been treated before the sample was collected. In viruses amplified from samples of children under treatment, resistance was most frequently found to lamivudine (3 cases) and nevirapine (4 cases). Two untreated children carried resistant viruses possibly acquired from their mothers.

CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to describe HIV-1 antiviral resistance in the pediatric population in Cuba; it also identified viral subtypes infecting the mother−child pairs studied. We recommend antiretroviral resistance assays before initiating treatment in pregnant seropositive women and their newborns.

KEYWORDS HIV, AIDS, antiretroviral therapy, antiviral drug resistance, phylogeny, infectious disease transmission, vertical, Cuba

The following errata have been corrected in all versions of this article

Page 24: Byline, ”Joan Alemán” should read “Yoan Alemán.”

Page 31, The Authors: ”Joan Alemán” should read “Yoan Alemán Campos.”