# Minimally Invasive Tissues Sampling to Evaluate HIV-associated Meningitis in Zambia

> **NIH NIH R01** · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · $472,160

## Abstract

There is an urgent need to establish the etiology and improve diagnostics of HIV-associated
meningitis in countries like Zambia given the high rates of mortality. A lack of post-mortem studies
in low and middle-income countries prevents in-depth studies on tissue from confirmed meningitis
patients. Central nervous system (CNS) co-infection frequently occurs in HIV-associated
meningitis, but no study has investigated its impact on mortality. Tuberculous meningitis (TBM),
one of the most common causes of HIV-associated meningitis, lacks a sensitive cerebrospinal
fluid (CSF) lateral flow assay to serve as a simple point of care diagnostic. The best candidate
lipid biomarker for a point of care assay has not been established. Best practices and expertise
for CSF and brain tissue handling, processing, and analyses are also lacking in many sub-
Saharan African countries. Our long-term goal is to establish causes of mortality, optimal
diagnostic biomarkers, and laboratory expertise to improve outcomes of HIV-associated
meningitis. We will test the following set of specific aims:
Aim 1) Establish comprehensive etiologies of HIV-associated meningitis
Aim 2) To improve CSF diagnostics for patients with HIV-associated meningitis in
resource-limited settings, we will explore more optimal candidate CSF lipid biomarkers to
diagnose TBM.
Aim 3) Strengthen laboratory services to improve the diagnosis of meningitis
The approach is innovative, because it systematically uses post-mortem tissue from an endemic
setting to evaluate HIV-associated meningitis. The proposed research is significant because it
allows us to establish etiologies and diagnostic biomarkers in HIV-associated meningitis while
improving the laboratory capability in Zambia to diagnose CNS infections. These findings will have
an important impact on the clinical management of meningitis and provide specific evidence to
guide empiric treatment of patients in the future.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10536463
- **Project number:** 1R01NS129156-01
- **Recipient organization:** BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Omar Khalik Siddiqi
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $472,160
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-15 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10536463

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10536463, Minimally Invasive Tissues Sampling to Evaluate HIV-associated Meningitis in Zambia (1R01NS129156-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10536463. Licensed CC0.

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