Hepatitis B and C virus infection in Nigerian patients with HIV/AIDS

This study was designed to assess the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in HIV patients and evaluate the risk of infection compared with HIV negative control subjects.

This is a prospective case control study in which 240 HIV/AIDS patients and age and sex matched controls were evaluated. The diagnosis of HIV infection was based on a positive HIV screening test using Capillus test kits (Trinity Biotech PLC, Ireland) and confirmed using Western blot assay. HBsAg and anti-HCV were assayed by commercially available chromatographic immunoassay (SD BIOLINE).

Eleven (9.2%) of the 120 HIV/AIDS patients and 8 (7%) of the 120 control subjects were positive for the HBsAg (OR=1, p=0.27). HBeAg was detected in 3 of the 11 (27.3%) subjects with HIV/HBV co infections. HIV positive patients were 7 times more likely to have HCV infection than control patients (5.8% compared with 0.8%, OR=7.3, p= 0.03).

The lack of a strong association between HBV and HIV infection may be related to different exposure routes in this population where HBV infection is highly endemic and childhood infection almost universal. In this African population, HIV infection may be a super-infection of HBV infections contracted in childhood. This high HCV/HIV co-infection rate is consistent with the shared parenteral and sexual routes of transmission.