Effects of Talaromyces marneffei infection on mortality of HIV/AIDS patients in southern China: a retrospective cohort study

Clin Microbiol Infect. 2019 Feb;25(2):233-241. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2018.04.018. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Abstract

Objective: Talaromyces marneffei is an opportunistic infection with high morbidity among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS patients in Southeast Asia and southern China. Its effects on mortality in HIV/AIDS patients has not been clearly elucidated.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized HIV-infected individuals at the Fourth People's Hospital of Nanning, Guangxi, China during 2012-2015. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to calculate the cumulative mortality. Cox proportional hazard models and 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) were used to evaluate the effects of T. marneffei infection on mortality of HIV/AIDS patients.

Results: In total, 6791 HIV/AIDS patients were included, 1093 of them (16.1%) with documented T. marneffei co-infection. The mortality of T. marneffei-infected patients (25.0 per 100 person-months, 95% CI 21.5-26.7) was the highest among all AIDS-associated complications and was significantly higher than that of T. marneffei-uninfected HIV/AIDS patients (13.8 per 100 person-months, 95% CI 12.5-15.1; adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 1.80, 95% CI 1.48-2.16). The results using PSM were similar (AHR 4.52 95% CI 2.43-8.42). The mortality of T. marneffei-infected patients was also significantly higher than that of patients without any complications. When stratified by demographic characteristics, T. marneffei infection has higher mortality risk in all stratifications. Co-infection with T. marneffei carries a higher mortality risk in patients at any CD4+ T-cell count.

Conclusions: Talaromyces marneffei infection is commonly found in hospitalized HIV/AIDS patients in southern China and was associated with a higher mortality rate than most HIV-associated complications. These results highlight the need for improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention of infection by this neglected fungal pathogen in southern China.

Keywords: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; Human immunodeficiency virus; Mortality; Southern China; Talaromyces marneffei.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • China / epidemiology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / complications*
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections / mortality*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycoses / complications*
  • Mycoses / epidemiology
  • Mycoses / microbiology*
  • Mycoses / mortality
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Talaromyces*
  • Young Adult