Association of hepatitis B and human immunodeficiency virus infections in Tanzanian population groups

A study was performed to determine whether there is a correlation between hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in population groups in the Dar es Salaam area in Tanzania where HBV infection is endemic. A panel of 460 sera from army recruits, health personnel and pregnant women was tested. In the whole group seromarkers of HBV infection were found in 61.9% of 134 HIV positive subjects versus 51.5% of 326 seronegative subjects, a difference which was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). In the group of pregnant women, however, 66.7% of 120 HIV positive subjects had markers of HBV infection versus 49.0% of the 157 HIV seronegative subjects (p < 0.01). This shows that a considerable proportion of young females are also exposed to HBV at the time they acquire HIV infection.