2621. Influence of HIV Exposure Status on Carriage Rates and Density of Streptococcus Pneumoniae and Pneumocystis Jirovecii in Zambian Children

BACKGROUND: Low rates of mother to child HIV transmission in Zambia, translates into a high number of children who are HIV exposed but uninfected (HEU) who have increased mortality and morbidity when compared with children HIV unexposed and uninfected (HUU). We performed a secondary analysis on The Pneumonia Etiology Research in Child Health (PERCH), a case–control study focused on identifying the etiologies of pediatric pneumonia including two pathogens, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Pneumocystis jirovecii in Zambian children to evaluate if HIV exposure status influences carriage rates and density for these pathogens. METHODS: Children ages 1–59 months were enrolled as cases if they met the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of severe or very severe pneumonia. Controls did not have a diagnosis of pneumonia and were matched by age and HIV status to cases. Each case and control had a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab and an oropharyngeal (OP) swab specimen. A multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to test the NP/OP specimens for S. pneumoniae and P. jirovecii. A density of log(10) copies/mL in microbiology confirmed cases compared with controls was used to define positive infection with S. pneumoniae and P. jirovecii. RESULTS: The highest S. pneumoniae carrier rates were seen in HIV unexposed controls and the lowest carrier rates seen in HIV-infected controls. HIV-infected children who were S. pneumoniae carriers and were classified as controls had the highest S. pneumoniae density of all groups. Overall, the HIV-infected group had the highest S. pneumoniae density rates. There was minimal variation in the S. pneumoniae density of those in the HIV exposed and HIV unexposed. P. jirovecii was present only in 31% of HIV-infected cases and 7% of the same group controls. HIV exposed cases had half the carrier rates of their counterparts in the HIV-infected group, but the P. jirovecii carriage rates were the same as the carriage rates in HIV-infected controls. The P. jirovecii carriage density in HIV-infected and HIV-exposed cases was similar. CONCLUSION: HIV exposure status in children can be a predictor factor in S. pneumoniae and P. jirovecii carriage and density. The results of our analysis could potentially explain the high rates of pneumonia in children exposed to HIV but uninfected. Our findings open the door to more in-depth studies about the immunological status in children exposed to HIV but uninfected. [Image: see text] [Image: see text] [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.