HomeHIV Research
HIV Research
Two autopsies reveal where HIV hides
Canadian researchers have identified the organs in which the HIV virus prefers to hide, thanks to two men who were on ARVs – and...
Will African-led trial be last roll of the dice for HIV vaccine?
The success of a novel, African-led trial, which has entered its last stages, could mark the start of a new phase of vaccine development,...
Gene variant in Africans may protect against HIV – global study
Scientists have found that a different form of a gene called CHD1L – found in people with African ancestry – has been linked to lower...
High prevalence of prediabetes in HIV positive people – SA review
Despite a focus on infectious diseases in Africa, there is increasing acknowledgement of the expanding burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the double challenge...
Green light for PrEP in HIV negative pregnant women – SA-led study
An international study, led by a University of KwaZulu-Natal professor, has confirmed the safe use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)...
Experts call for more training after study flags risks of commonly-used ARV
South African medical experts have issued an alert about the antiretroviral drug that has become this country’s first-choice treatment for HIV-positive people. Dolutegravir is...
Fourth person cured of HIV, fifth success in the wings: AIDS 2022 conference
A 66-year-old man, diagnosed with HIV in 1988, has been in remission for more that 17 months after stopping antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the...
Doxycycline slashes STI risk among MSM, trans women – US study
New studies presented at AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference (29 July-2 August) hosted by IAS – the International AIDS Society – demonstrated...
Improving HIV service linkage and retention in Mozambique and South Africa
Providing immune cell testing and HIV treatment counseling immediately after a positive HIV test was the first in a series of measures that increased...
MS drug shows potential in treating HIV
A drug used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Crohn's disease has confirmed how 'viral reservoirs' form in patients living with HIV and Aids and also proven effective in animal trials at blocking the pathways to those reservoirs.
Injected drug increase putting users at risk
A report by the UK-based NGO, Harm Reduction International (HRI) says new patterns of injected drug use in sub-Saharan Africa call for an increase in preventative efforts among this population which is at risk of HIV infection, according to a Mail & Guardian report.
Meta-analysis of patient retention
In the paper, Retention of Adult Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis 2008-2013, Matthew Fox and Sydney...
Study looks at disclosure of HIV status
Disclosure of HIV status by women to their partners is the backbone for prevention of HIV transmission among couples as well as promotion of...
Nutritional supplements could end high mortality rates
Malnourished HIV-infected African adults are at high risk of early mortality after starting antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Risk of heart attacks reversed
Previously reported increased risk of heart attacks among HIV-positive individuals has been largely reversed in recent years reports a large-sample Kaiser Permanente California analysis,
HIV+ children vulnerable to pneumonia
HIV-positive children in developing countries are six times more likely to die from pneumonia than children without the virus, research suggests.
HIV patients’ brains unaffected by hep C
Washington University research indicates that hepatitis C does not affect the brain, ruling it out as a possible cause of mental impairment among HIV-positive patients.
Study explains ‘backfire’ effect
Clinical trials have shown that HIV vaccines can 'backfire' and lead to increased rates of infection. Now, a new study published by the US National Academy of Sciences suggests an explanation.
Intra-vaginal ring designed to prevent HIV transmission
An intra-vaginal ring implanted with anti-retroviral drug tablets, or pods, has demonstrated sustained and controlled drug release and safety over 28 days, reports Science...
US’s Centres for Disease Control recommends new type of HIV testing
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending a new type of HIV testing that utilises diagnostics that can detect infection...
Herpes stalks SA’s HIV-positive pregnant women
Almost 90% of HIV-positive pregnant women are also infected with herpes, according to a recent Health Sciences Research Council survey. Health-e reports that for...
US officials recommend new regimen to fight HIV/Aids
US health officials have recommended that hundreds of thousands of Americans at risk for Aids take a daily pill that has been shown to...
Uganda passes Bill criminalising transmission of HIV
A Bill passed by MPs in Uganda, which criminalises the transmission of HIV, has been criticised by the campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW),...
‘Diluted human resources’ impacting on male circumcision care
SA vastly expanded male medical circumcision services since 2010, and while surgical efficiency and record keeping improved, the quality of surgical care, such as...
Contested theory on why many African Aids victims are women
Nearly 60% of Aids victims in Africa are women and a team of Norwegian infectious disease spec ialists think they may have the explanation....
NFP gets rights for promising HIV medicine
The not-for-profit (NFP) International Partnership for Microbicides has received worldwide rights to a promising HIV prevention medicine, called dapivirine, from Janssen R&D Ireland, reports...
Researchers figure out enzyme’s HIV fighting activity
Johns Hopkins biochemists have figured out what is needed to activate and sustain the virus-fighting activity of an enzyme found in CD4+ T cells,...
Scientists report failure in strategy to reverse latency
Scientists at Johns Hopkins report that compounds they hoped would ‘wake up’ dormant reservoirs of HIV inside immune system T cells – a strategy...
Second baby free of HIV virus raises hopes
The hope that newborns can be ‘cured’ of HIV with early, aggressive drug treatment has been bolstered with the announcement that a second baby...
Studies reported at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston include…
The rollout of antiretroviral therapy in rural SA has resulted in a rapid recovery of life expectancy for HIV-infected individuals, with women appearing to...