Seroprevalence and Molecular Genotypes of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Co-Infections among Patients with Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis

International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences | Vol. 12, No. 8, August 2022 | pp. 57–64

DOI: 10.46882/2022/IJMMS/120057

Original Research Article

Seroprevalence and Molecular Genotypes of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Co-Infections among Patients with Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Patrick O. Diallo¹, Cynthia U. Nwachukwu², Jean-Pierre B. Diop¹*

¹Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.

²Department of Medicine, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.

Abstract:

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) co-infection worsens the pathology of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and increases the complexity of treatment. This cross-sectional study determined the seroprevalence and distribution of specific HIV strains and genotypes among patients presenting with active, sputum-smear-positive pulmonary TB. Blood samples from 400 newly diagnosed TB patients were screened for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies using rapid test algorithms and confirmed via Western Blot. Viral RNA extraction and subsequent sequencing were performed on dual-positive specimens to determine specific sub-genotypic distributions. The overall seroprevalence of HIV co-infection among the TB patients was 16.5% (66/400). Out of the 66 co-infected patients, HIV-1 infection predominated at 89.4% (59/66), HIV-2 accounted for 7.6% (5/66), and dual HIV-1/HIV-2 infection was confirmed in 3.0% (2/66). Molecular genotypic mapping of HIV-1 isolates revealed that the CRF02_AG circulating recombinant form was the most prevalent variant (64.4%), followed by subtype G (18.6%) and subtype A (10.2%). CD4+ T-cell count distribution showed that 54.5% of co-infected individuals had severe immunosuppression with a CD4+ count < 200 cells/μL. Logistic regression demonstrated that an age between 25 and 35 years (OR = 2.9, p < 0.05) and a history of previous incarceration (OR = 3.4, 95% CI = 1.7–6.8, p < 0.01) were significant risk factors. The high prevalence of HIV-1 CRF02_AG co-infections among TB patients emphasizes the need for universal, integrated TB-HIV clinic systems to ensure early initiation of antiretroviral and antitubercular therapies.

Keywords: Pulmonary Tuberculosis, HIV Co-infection, Seroprevalence, Molecular Genotypes, CRF02_AG, Immunosuppression

Manuscript Timeline: Received: May 14, 2022; Revised: June 20, 2022; Accepted: July 12, 2022; Published: August 16, 2022.

Citation: Diallo PO, Nwachukwu CU, Diop JPB. Seroprevalence and Molecular Genotypes of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Co-Infections among Patients with Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis. International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences, 2022, 12(8): 57–64. DOI: 10.46882/2022/IJMMS/120057

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