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Isolation of Leukocytes from Human Breast Milk for Use in an Antibody-dependent Cellular Phagocytosis Assay of HIV Targets
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HIV transmission to extremely low birth weight infants

Lloyd Tooke1, Alan R Horn, Michael C Harrison

  • 1Department of Neonatology, Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa. Lloyd.tooke@uct.ac.za

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
|August 30, 2012
PubMed

Insights

The risk of perinatal HIV transmission to extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants is low, even with limited maternal antiretroviral drug use. This finding is attributed to high cesarean section rates and infant prophylactic measures.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal care
  • Infectious disease epidemiology
  • Public health

Background:

  • Premature birth increases the risk of perinatal HIV transmission compared to term infants.
  • Limited data exists on HIV transmission rates in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.
  • Understanding transmission risks in vulnerable neonatal populations is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the risk of perinatal HIV transmission in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.
  • To investigate HIV transmission rates within a South African tertiary neonatal unit.
  • To identify factors influencing HIV transmission in ELBW infants.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective data collection on all inborn ELBW infants over a 1-year period.
  • Monitoring infant survival and conducting DNA HIV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing at 6 weeks.
  • Recording maternal antiretroviral drug (ART) usage and delivery methods.

Main Results:

  • Out of 180 ELBW infants, 51 (28%) were HIV-exposed.
  • One HIV-positive infant was identified among survivors, yielding a transmission rate of 2.7%.
  • Maternal ART coverage was suboptimal, with only 44% receiving treatment for over one month.

Conclusions:

  • The perinatal HIV transmission rate in this ELBW infant cohort is notably low.
  • High cesarean section rates (89%) and universal infant antiretroviral prophylaxis likely contributed to low transmission.
  • The use of pasteurized breast milk may also play a role in reducing HIV transmission risk.
Abstract

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