Human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) and the associated clinical features among sero-positive Nigerian subjects.

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Westernblot were employed to analyze sera collected from one thousand and fifty (1050) patients who tested HIV positive type-1. Out of this, 95 (9.1%) of the patients were less than 2 years old, 102 (10.0%) were aged between 2-15 years old while 813 (77.4%) were aged above 15 years. For any age group, the ratio of male to female was 1:1 except that there was excess of males below 5 years. There were four (4) most frequent signs and symptoms observed. These were loss of weight or malnutrition, generalized lymphadenopathy, chronic watery diarrhoea and chronic chest infections. Loss of weight was recorded in 65.0% of the seropositive patients in all age groups. Generalized lymphadenopathy was seen in 35.0% of all the age groups but was most frequent in 36.1% of those less than 2 years. Chronic watery diarrhoea (42.8%) was frequent in patients less than 2 years and less frequent in 18.0% of older children between 1-15 years. Chronic chest infections were least frequent in 25.0% of adults above 15 years old and highest frequency was observed in 53.0%, children less than 2 years. Forty patients had incomplete documentations and children of pediatric ages had acutely overt clinical manifestation of HIV (1&11) attributable to undeveloped immune competence.

Urinary tract pathology in Schistosoma haematobium infected rural Nigerians.

Parasitological investigation assessing the ova of Schistosoma haematobium in the urine of 138 volunteers in Ihieve-Ogben, Edo State, Nigeria revealed 43 positive results (31.2%). Children had a higher prevalence of urinary schistosomiasis 30 (41.1%) than their adult counterparts 13 (20.0%) and this difference was statistically significant (t = 8.89, p > 0.01). More volunteers had light intensity of infection 27 (19.6%) than heavy infection 16 (11.6%) and this difference was statistically significant (chi2 = 22.90, p>0.05). Ultrasonographic investigations carried out on these 43 S. haematobium infected volunteers revealed ten pathological conditions, including abnormal wall thickness 24 (55.8%), abnormal shape 30 (69.8%), irregular bladder wall 12 (27.9%), masses 10 (23.3%), pseudopolyps 2 (4.7%), echogenic particles 30 (69.8%), residual volume 12 (27.9%), calcifications 24 (55.8%), hydroureter 10 (23.3%) and hydronephrosis 8 (18.6%) when compared to control subjects which lacked bladder and kidney abnormalities. These pathological conditions were slightly more common in the volunteers with heavy infection than those with light infection, but this difference was not statistically significant (t = -2.19, p < 0.02). More pathological conditions were found in children than in adults; this finding was statistically significant (t = 3.23, p > 0.03). Hydronephrosis and hydroureter were not found in the volunteers with light intensity of infection.