AU Comment: Treatment goals in Australia The principles of treatment goals of ART in Australia are consistent with DHHS recommendations, noting that in Australia both two and three drug ARV regimens are available. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced HIV-related morbidity and mortality at all stages of HIV infection1-4 and has reduced HIV transmission.5-8 Maximal and durable suppression …
This section has information on laboratory testing. Please click on the below links or follow the table of contents to access the information you are looking for. Tests for Initial Assessment and Follow-Up Drug-Resistance Testing HLA-B* 5701 Screening Plasma HIV-1 RNA (Viral Load) and CD4 Count Monitoring Co-receptor Tropism Assays
AU Comment: IGRA testing Interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs), such as the QuantiFERON-TB Gold assay, detect circulating T cells reactive with antigens of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). The tuberculin skin test (TST) also detects M. tuberculosis-reactive T cells but T cells reactive with antigens of BCG and non-tuberculous mycobacteria may also be detected, resulting in a …
AU Comment: Plasma HIV-1 RNA (Viral Load) and CD4 Count Monitoring Plasma HIV-1 RNA (Viral Load) and CD4 Count Monitoring: Current DHHS guidelines are suitable for implementation in Australia, noting the following principles: Viral load testing Viral load is the most important indicator of initial and sustained response to ART and should be measured in …
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AU Comment: Drug-Resistance testing in Australia DHHS recommendations are suitable for HIV drug resistance testing in Australia, including: Routine baseline HIV-1 genotyping prior to treatment and in the context of virological failure, including integrase gene sequencing. This is increasingly relevant given the use of INSTI- based regimen for post-exposure prophylaxis. DHHS recommendations also acknowledge the …
AU Comment: Co-receptor Tropism Assays DHHS recommendations are suitable for implementation in Australia, noting that CCR5 tropism testing is only relevant when considering the use of Maraviroc treatment (in which case it is required) or when assessing virological failure involving Maraviroc therapy. In Australia, only genotypic CCR5 tropism assays are available to assess tropism using …
AU Comment: HLA-B*5701 screening: DHHS recommendations are suitable for implementation in Australia, including: Screening for HLA-B*5701 before starting patients on an abacavir (ABC)-containing regimen to reduce the risk of hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) (AI). Avoidance of ABC- in HLA-B*5701-positive patients and documentation of HLA-B*5701-positive status as an ABC allergy in the patient’s medical record, noting the risk …
AU Comment: Australian resource on primary care guidance for PHIV Australian clinicians can refer to the ASHM HIV Management Guidelines for primary care guidance for people with HIV. AU Comment: Other tests to perform STI testing for people with HIV in Australia should be consistent with the Australian STI Management Guidelines for Use in Primary …
When do updates occur? Major new guideline updates from US DHHS usually occur after the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), while smaller updates can occur throughout the year if important new evidence is presented. April 2025: In September 2024 the DHHS published a new section to the guidelines – Transplantation in People with …
In February 2005, the Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Committee on HIV and STI endorsed the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-1 Infected Adults and Adolescents and requested that ASHM facilitate the production of a regularly updated commentary on those Guidelines relevant to Australia. The …