PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Phiri, Sam
AU  - Hoffman, Irving F
AU  - Weiss, Helen A
AU  - Martinson, Francis
AU  - Nyirenda, Naomi
AU  - Kamwendo, Debbie
AU  - Fiscus, Susan A
AU  - Chen, Cheng-Yen
AU  - Miller, William C
AU  - van der Hoeven, Len
AU  - Chilongozi, David
AU  - Cohen, Myron S
AU  - Mayaud, Philippe
TI  - Impact of aciclovir on ulcer healing, lesional, genital and plasma HIV-1 RNA among patients with genital ulcer disease in Malawi
AID  - 10.1136/sti.2009.041814
DP  - 2010 Oct 01
TA  - Sexually Transmitted Infections
PG  - 345--352
VI  - 86
IP  - 5
4099  - http://sti.bmj.com/content/86/5/345.short
4100  - http://sti.bmj.com/content/86/5/345.full
SO  - Sex Transm Infect2010 Oct 01; 86
AB  - Objective By a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of aciclovir 800 mg twice daily for 5 days added to the syndromic management of genital ulcer disease (GUD) to determine the impact on ulcer healing and HIV outcomes.Methods Patients presenting with GUD in Malawi were evaluated for HIV and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) serologies, ulcer aetiology, lesional, genital and plasma HIV-1 RNA and CD4+ count. Patients were followed up at days 2, 4, 7, 14 and 28. The primary study outcome was ulcer healing at day 14, with secondary outcomes being lesional and genital HIV-1 shedding at day 14 and HIV-1 plasma viral load at day 28 among HIV-1/HSV-2 co-infected individuals.Results Four hundred and twenty-two patients (74% male) were randomised (208 to aciclovir, 214 to placebo), of whom 61% were HIV-1 seropositive and 72% HSV-2 seropositive; 67% (267/398) had HSV-2 ulcers. 85% of ulcers were healed at day 14 with no difference between treatment arms (risk ratio (RR)=1.02, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.11). Among 244 HIV-1/HSV-2 co-infected individuals, aciclovir reduced lesional HIV-1 RNA (adjusted RR=0.64, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.99) and seminal HIV-1 RNA (adjusted RR=0.59, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.88), but not cervical HIV-1 RNA or plasma HIV-1 RNA.Conclusions Episodic HSV treatment with aciclovir added to syndromic management did not produce a significant clinical benefit in this African population.