Co-infection of Parvovirus B19 and Plasmodium falciparum among Sickle Cell Disease Patients in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Infections by parasites, bacteria, viruses such as human parvovirus B19 amongst others, have been widely reported as contributing to high prevalence of anaemia in many populations. This study was conducted to determine the co-infection of Plasmodium falciparum and human parvovirus B19 among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Methodology: A total of 400 participants consisting 300 SCD patients (134 males, 166 females) and 100 (38 males, 62 females) apparently healthy subjects with haemoglobin AA (which served as control) who were contacted in homes, schools and offices, were enrolled for the study. The age of the participants ranged from 1 to 54 years. Venous blood was collected for detection of P. falciparum using Giemsa stain while parvovirus B19 was detected with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Full blood count was estimated using Sysmex KX-21N haematology auto-analyzer. Results: An overall prevalence of parvovirus B19 and P. falciparum co-infection observed among SCD patients in this study was 3.0% while single infection was 14.0% for P. falciparum and 26.7% for parvovirus B19. Religion was associated with 0 to 22 fold increased risk of acquiring co-infection of P. falciparum and parvovirus B19. Gender was significantly associated with P. falciparum infection (p=0.0291) while tribal extraction, platelet index and seasonal variation were significantly associated with single parvovirus B19 or co-infection of P. falciparum and parvovirus B19 (p<0.05). Conclusion: The provision of strict regulatory policy concerning the screening of whole blood or pooled plasma before the use of blood products and transfusion of SCD patients is advocated

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among HIV patients in Benin City, Nigeria

This study was carried out to determine the presence of intestinal parasites and their correlation with CD4+ T-cell counts and demographics among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients in Benin City; Nigeria. Stool specimens from 2;000 HIV-positive patients and 500 controls (HIV-negative individuals) were examined for ova; cysts; or parasites; using standard procedures. In addition; patient's blood samples were analyzed for CD4 counts by flow cytometry. An overall prevalence rate of 15.3was observed among HIVpositive patients while 6.2was noted among non-HIV subjects. HIV status was a significant (P0.0001) risk factor for acquiring intestinal parasitic infections. Male gender; CD4 count 200 cell/ml; and diarrhea were significantly associated with an increased prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among HIVpositive patients. The level of education; occupation; and source of water among HIV patients significantly (P0.0001) affected the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections. Ascaris lumbricoides was the most predominant parasite in both HIV-positive patients and controls. A CD4 count 200 cells/ml was significantly associated with only Isospora belli and Cryptosporidium infections. The presence of pathogenic intestinal parasites such as A. lumbricoides; hookworm; Giardia intestinalis; Entamoeba histolytica; Trichuris trichiura; and Taenia species among HIV-infected persons should not be neglected. Cryptosporidium species and I. belli were the opportunistic parasites observed in this study. Routine screening for intestinal parasites in HIV-positive patients is advocated