Administration of a multiple-dose series of M. vaccae to HIV-infected adults with childhood Bacille Calmette-Guérin immunization is safe and is associated with significant protection against definite tuberculosis. These results provide evidence that immunization with a whole cell mycobacterial vaccine is a viable strategy for the prevention of HIV-associated tuberculosis.

Clinical and subclinical tuberculosis are common among ambulatory HIV-infected persons, and some cases can only be identified by sputum culture. World Health Organization guidelines for screening for latent tuberculosis before treatment do not recommend sputum culture and, therefore, may fail to identify a substantial number of HIV-infected persons with subclinical, active tuberculosis.

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Objectives Abnormal hearing tests have been noted in HIV-infected patients in several studies, but the nature of the hearing deficit has not been clearly defined. We performed a cross-sectional study of both HIV+ and HIV− individuals in Tanzania using an audiological test battery. We hypothesized that HIV+ adults would have a higher prevalence of abnormal central and peripheral hearing test results compared to HIV− controls. Additionally, we anticipated that the prevalence of abnormal hearing assessments would increase with anti-retroviral therapy (ART) use, and treatment for tuberculosis (TB). Design Pure-tone thresholds, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs), tympanometry, and a gap detection test were performed using a laptop-based hearing testing system on 751 subjects (100 HIV− in the U.S., plus 651 in Dar es Salaam Tanzania including 449 HIV+ [130 ART− and 319 ART+], and 202 HIV−, subjects. No U.S. subjects had a history of TB treatment. In Tanzania, 204 of the HIV+, and 23 of the HIV−, subjects had a history of TB treatment. Subjects completed a video and audio questionnaire about their hearing as well as a health history questionnaire. Results HIV+ subjects had reduced DPOAE levels compared to HIV− subjects, but their hearing thresholds, tympanometry results, and gap detection thresholds were similar. Within the HIV+ group, those on ART reported significantly greater difficulties understanding speech-in-noise, and were significantly more likely to report that they had difficulty understanding speech than the ART− group. The ART+ group had a significantly higher mean gap detection threshold compared to the ART− group. No effects of TB treatment were seen. Conclusions The fact that the ART+/ART− groups did not differ in measures of peripheral hearing ability (DPOAEs, thresholds), or middle ear measures (tympanometry), but that the ART+ group had significantly more trouble understanding speech and higher gap detection thresholds, indicates a central processing deficit. These data suggest that: (a) hearing deficits in HIV+ individuals could be a central nervous system (CNS) side effect of HIV infection, (b) certain ART regimens might produce CNS side effects that manifest themselves as hearing difficulties, and/or (c) some ART regimens may treat CNS HIV inadequately, perhaps due to insufficient CNS drug levels, which is reflected as a central hearing deficit. Monitoring of central hearing parameters could be used to track central effects of either HIV or ART.

Our findings support an association between low-to-moderate levels of arsenic in drinking water and bladder cancer risk in New England. In addition, historical consumption of water from private wells, particularly dug wells in an era when arsenical pesticides were widely used, was associated with increased bladder cancer risk and may have contributed to the New England excess.