HIV acute infection and long-term undisclosed HIV status among blood donors from the highly endemic Amazonas state, located in the Brazilian Amazon.

BACKGROUND

The Amazonas state/AM and Manaus rank among the highest AIDS detection rates in Brazil. High proportion of HIV infected blood donors and transmission clusters of multidrug antiretroviral/ARV resistant viruses were described in HEMOAM blood donors, a main Amazonas public blood bank. Recent and long-term infections among previously genotyped donors are reported.

METHODS/MATERIALS: The recency immunoassay Lag Avidity EIA (Maxim, USA) was employed. Clinical/CD4/viral load medical file data of the main local HIV management center (FMT-HVD) and ARV treatment/ART data were reviewed.

RESULTS

Among 142 HIV-blood donors, chronic infection predominated (n = 87; 61.3 %), 79 based on LAg EIA and 8 undisclosed HIV identified in FMT-HVD records, mostly young adult, single males, 4 repeat donors, all ART-naive. Recent infections represented 30.3 % (n = 43), 39 identified by LAg EIA and 4 immunologic windows (antibody negative/NAT/RNA positive). The overall profile of recent and long-term infections was similar, including moderate rate of transmitted drug resistance/TDR, however with multiple resistance mutations to more than one ARV-class, suggesting ART/failure.

DISCUSSION: Recent/acute and undisclosed/long-term HIV infections represent blood safety alerts suggesting test-seeking behavior of at-risk populations. Early ART use in Brazil, can turn HIV diagnosis more challenging representing a blood transfusion risk in the highly endemic Brazilian Amazon.