ABSTRACT
Background: Some infections share common modes of transmission with HIV and have the potential to change the course of the latter. Aim: To assess the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) hepatitis C virus (HCV), Treponema palladium and Toxoplasmosis gondii co-infections in HIV-1 infected patients followed at a university hospital. Material and methods: Clinical records of HIV-positive individuals were reviewed. The analysis included: demographical data, hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), IgM and IgG anti-HBc, antibodies, anti-HCV antibodies, RPR or VDRL test and IgG anti Tgondii antibodies. Results: Three hundred ninety five patients (aged 16 to 89years, 359 males) were included in the review. Seventy nine percent had been tested for HBV status with HBsAg, and the global HIV-HBV co-infection prevalence was 6.1 percent. A subgroup of190 individuals were tested for HBV infection with HBsAg and IgM/IgG anti-HBc markers. Of these, 46 percent fulfilled co-infection criteria: eight with acute hepatitis B, 11 with chronic hepatitis B and 69 with inactive HBV infection. The frequency of HIV-HBV co-infection was 48 percent and 22 percent among men and women respectively (NS). HCV-HN co-infection was detected in 3 percent, syphilis-HIV co-infection in 21 percent and T gondii-HIV co-infection in 26 percent. Conclusions: In this cohort, HIV infection is accompanied by a high prevalence of other co-infections, particularly HBV among men.