Impact of human immunodeficiency virus infection on abdominal tuberculosis in western India

We studied the seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and abdominal tuberculosis. We also assessed the clinical characteristics, risk factors, tuberculin status, site, and response to therapy of abdominal tuberculosis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and HIV-seronegative patients. Volunteer blood donors (n = 8,395), patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (n = 387), and patients with abdominal tuberculosis (n = 108) were screened for HIV 1 and/or HIV 2 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; Torrent, India) and positivity reconfirmed by a repeat ELISA and Western blot test. The HIV seroprevalence in the abdominal tuberculosis patients (16.6%) was significantly higher compared with those with pulmonary tuberculosis (6.9%, p < 0.05) and volunteer blood donors (1.4%, p < 0.01). Absolute lymphocyte counts did not differ between the HIV-seropositive and HIV-seronegative patients (2,044.94 +/- 830 vs 2,261.34 +/- 805/mm3, p = NS). The Mantoux reaction was larger in the HIV-seronegative group as compared with the HIV-seropositive group (14.8 mm vs. 9.5 mm, p < 0.05). Tuberculosis patients responded well to conventional antituberculosis drugs in standard doses regardless of their HIV status.