Infectious Disease Frontier

Pediatric care and treatment for children with HIV infection have always been a critical component in the global fight against AIDS. Recently, at the AIDS2024 conference, Dr. Anna Turkova from University College London shared her insights with Infectious Diseases Frontier(IIDF) on the breakthrough advancements in pediatric HIV care. She highlighted that the detection and diagnosis of undiagnosed children with HIV remain a major challenge that requires ongoing effort and investment. While the use of dolutegravir-based triple oral therapy has led to significant success in treating pediatric HIV, the development and application of innovative therapies such as long-acting injectables are still in progress. Additionally, psychosocial support is crucial in pediatric HIV care. Looking to the future, Dr. Turkova envisions long-acting injectable preventive treatments, painting a hopeful picture for the global pediatric HIV care landscape.

In the field of AIDS prevention and treatment, tailored immunization strategies for HIV-positive individuals are becoming crucial for improving patients' quality of life and prolonging their lifespan. At the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024), Dr. Anna Maria Geretti from the Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool presented an insightful report on this topic and subsequently engaged in an extensive interview with " Infectious Disease Frontier"(IIDF). She emphasized the importance of ensuring that HIV-positive individuals receive appropriate vaccination recommendations and pointed out the deficiencies in comprehensiveness and personalization in current guidelines. Dr. Geretti elaborated on the key factors to consider when formulating personalized vaccination strategies, such as immune status, viral load, and CD4+ T-cell count, which directly influence vaccine selection and effectiveness. Furthermore, she shared the latest research findings and vaccination recommendations for vaccines against hepatitis B, shingles, pneumococcal disease, and human papillomavirus (HPV), providing a more scientific and comprehensive protection plan for HIV-positive individuals.

At the 25th International AIDS Conference, a study led by Dr. Troy Grennan from the British Columbia University and the Canadian Centre for Disease Control revealed the astonishing effectiveness of doxycycline pre-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPrEP) in reducing the incidence of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among HIV-positive men who have sex with men. The study found that taking 100 mg of doxycycline daily significantly reduced the incidence of syphilis, chlamydia infection, and gonorrhea, with an overall reduction rate of up to 80%. This breakthrough discovery not only provides a new strategy for STI prevention but also offers important evidence for future public health policy formulation. With the advancement of larger-scale clinical trials, doxycycline is expected to become an important tool in the field of STI prevention, contributing to global public health security. " Infectious Disease Frontier"（IIDF） invited Dr. Troy Grennan for an exclusive interview.

At the just concluded 25th International Conference on AIDS (AIDS2024), as a major clinical research progress of the conference, Dr. Christian Gaebler of Charlotte University in Berlin, Germany, reported the seventh "next Berlin patient" to be cured after the world's first "Berlin patient" cured of HIV. This patient did not follow the traditional path of achieving cure through homozygous CCR5 Δ 32/Δ 32 stem cell transplantation, but miraculously achieved sustained HIV remission without antiretroviral therapy (ART) for over five years after receiving heterozygous CCR5 WT/Δ 32 stem cell transplantation. Infectious Disease Frontier（IIDF） invited Dr. Christian Gaebler for an in-depth interview to elaborate on the significant implications behind this unprecedented successful case.

Broad spectrum neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are showing unprecedented potential in the field of HIV prevention and treatment. At the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS2024), Professor Hyman Scott, medical director of Bridge HIV clinical research, San Francisco Department of Public Health, introduced the latest progress of bnAbs in HIV prevention and treatment. Infectious Disease Frontier（IIDF） is honored to invite Professor Scott for an in-depth interview, elaborating on the important role of bnAbs in HIV prevention and treatment. Professor Scott pointed out that bnAbs provides a new option for people at high risk of HIV infection due to its convenience and efficient prevention ability of only requiring one injection every six months. By complementing existing antiretroviral therapies, bnAbs not only enriches prevention methods, but also opens up new pathways for the treatment of HIV infection. In the future, with the deepening of clinical development of bnAbs under the framework of HVTN/HPTN/IAVI cooperation, we are expected to witness the widespread application of this innovative therapy worldwide, bringing new hope to end the AIDS epidemic.

The 20th Shanghai International Forum for Infection Control (SIFIC), in conjunction with the 8th Oriental Forum on Challenging Infectious Diseases (OFCID) and the Academic Corference of Global Chinese Association of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases , were held at the Shanghai International Convention Center from July 25-27, 2024. At this academic event, Dr. Xiaodong Gao from Zhongshan Hospital  delivered an in-depth lecture on key topics such as hospital infection assessment, infection control management, hand hygiene practices, and the WHO Global Action Plan on Infection Prevention and Control. In an interview with Infectious Diseases Frontier, Dr.  Gao not only reviewed the founding vision of SIFIC but also provided an in-depth analysis of strategies for infection prevention and control (IPC), the details of hand hygiene management, and how multidisciplinary collaboration can strengthen infection control efforts.

Due to similar transmission routes, approximately 20% of people living with HIV (PLWH) are co-infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). For decades, rhesus macaques (RMs) have served as a model for HIV research, but they have never been used to study HIV/HBV co-infection. At the AIDS 2024 conference, a research team from Oregon Health & Science University presented an oral report on their successful construction of an RM model co-infected with SHIVDH12 Clone 7 and HBV genotype D. A key advantage of this animal model is the ability to obtain longitudinal biopsies and dynamically monitor changes in immune cell phenotypes and ALT levels, providing better insights into the pathogenesis of co-infection. This article invites Dr. Linghua Li’s team from Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University to delve into this study and interpret the deeper significance behind these research findings.

At the AIDS 2024 conference, Dr. Melanie Ott from the University of California, San Francisco, delivered a special report titled "The Sound of Silence: Tackling HIV Transcription to Achieve Remission," which garnered widespread attention. Following the conference, Infectious Diseases Frontier conducted an in-depth interview with Dr.  Ott, where she elaborated on the significance of HIV transcription mechanisms in regulating viral reservoirs, which play a crucial role in the rebound of the virus after treatment interruption. Professor Ott highlighted that a novel strategy involving the use of transcription inhibitors in combination with existing antiretroviral therapy (ART) could potentially suppress transcriptional activity in reservoir cells, thereby delaying viral rebound and reducing immune activation, bringing new hope and breakthroughs to the field of HIV treatment.

The 20th Shanghai International Forum for Infection Control (SIFIC), in conjunction with the 8th Oriental Forum on Challenging Infectious Diseases (OFCID) and the Academic Corference of Global Chinese Association of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (SIFIC 2024 "National Infection Control and Challenging Infectious Diseases" Combined Conference), was grandly inaugurated in Shanghai. "Xiaoshi," a reporter from Infection Medical Line, interviewed some of the participants at the SIFIC event, sharing the growth journey and bright future of SIFIC.

On July 26, 2024, the highly anticipated 20th Shanghai International Forum for Infection Control (SIFIC), in conjunction with the 8th Oriental Forum on Complex Infectious Diseases (OFCID) and the Annual Meeting of the Global Chinese Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, was grandly inaugurated at the Shanghai International Conference Center. Themed "Precision Diagnosis, Precision Control," this year's conference aims to enhance the scientific and precise approach to infection prevention and control in China. Marking SIFIC's 20th anniversary, the conference not only reflected on past achievements but also looked forward to the boundless possibilities in the field of infection control, inspiring every participant to move forward together in writing a new chapter for infection prevention and control.