{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,7]],"date-time":"2025-11-07T13:34:50Z","timestamp":1762522490282,"version":"3.40.5"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"AOSIS","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,29]],"date-time":"2020-07-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1595980800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Afr. J. Lab. Med."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Cryptococcal meningitis is a leading cause of death amongst people living with HIV. However, routine cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) screening was not in the national guidelines in Eswatini.Objectives: A cross-sectional study was conducted between August 2014 and March 2015 to examine CrAg prevalence at Mbabane Government Hospital in Eswatini.Methods: We collected urine and whole blood from antiretroviral-therapy-na\u00efve patients with HIV and a cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) counts  200 cells\/mm3 for plasma and urine CrAg lateral flow assay (LFA) screening at the national HIV reference laboratory. Two CD4 cut-off points were used to estimate CrAg prevalence: CD4  100 and  200 cells\/mm3. Sensitivity and specificity of urine CrAg LFA was compared to plasma CrAg LFA.Results: Plasma CrAg prevalence was 4% (8\/182, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2\u20138) amongst patients with CD4 counts of  200 cells\/mm3, and 8% (8\/102, 95% CI: 3\u201315) amongst patients with CD4 counts of  100 cells\/mm3. Urine CrAg LFA had a sensitivity of 100% (95% CI: 59\u2013100) and a specificity of 80% (95% CI: 72\u201386) compared with plasma CrAg LFA tests for patients with CD4  200 cells\/mm3. Forty-three per cent of 99 patients with CD4  100 were at World Health Organization clinical stages I or II.Conclusion: The prevalence of CrAg in Eswatini was higher than the current global estimate of 6% amongst HIV-positive people with CD4  100 cell\/mm3, indicating the importance of initiating a national screening programme. Mechanisms for CrAg testing, training, reporting, and drug and commodity supply issues are important considerations before national implementation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4102\/ajlm.v9i1.933","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,8,3]],"date-time":"2020-08-03T13:17:20Z","timestamp":1596460640000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Prevalence of cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) among HIV-positive patients in Eswatini, 2014\u20132015"],"prefix":"10.4102","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5194-1247","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samson 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