Cryptococcal antigenemia in anti-retroviral naive AIDS patients: prevalence and its association with CD4 cell count

Cryptococcus neoformans is the most incriminated fungal pathogen causing meningitis in acquired immune deficiency syndrome [AIDS] patients, and is known to constitute a major cause of deaths in AIDS patients. This study aimed to determine the sero-prevalence and effect of CD4 count on seropositivity for Cryptococcus neoformans antigen [crag] in antiretroviral- naive [ART-naive] AIDS patients. This study included 150 [61 males and 89 females] ART-naive AIDS patients attending the Human Immunodeficiency Virus [HIV] clinic of the University of Benin teaching hospital, Benin City, Nigeria within the period February 2011- July 2011. 40 [18 males and 22 females] HIV positive outpatients with CD4 counts >200 cells/microl who are ART-naive were recruited and used as controls. The prevalence of crag in the patients and control group was determined using the cryptococcal antigen latex agglutination system [CALAS] [Meridian Bioscience, Europe] and CD4 counts were measured using flow cytometry [Partec flow cytometer, Germany]. Of 150 ART-naive AIDS patients with CD4 counts

Screening for cryptococcal antigenemia in anti-retroviral naive AIDS patients in Benin City, Nigeria

Cryptococcus neoformans is the most incriminated fungal pathogen causing meningitis in acquired immune deficiency syndrome [AIDS] patients, and is known to constitute a major cause of deaths in AIDS patients. This study thus aimed to determine the baseline sero-prevalence of Cryptococcus neoformans infection in anti-retroviral naive [ART-naive] AIDS patients using the serum Cryptococcal antigen [crag] detection method. Baseline effect of variation in CD4 counts, as well as sex and age with sero-positivity for crag were also determined. This descriptive cross-sectional study included 150 [61 males and 89 females] ART-naive AIDS patients attending the Human Immunodeficiency Virus clinic [HIV] at the University of Benin Teaching hospital, Benin City, Nigeria, within the period from February 2011- July 2011. Forty [18 males and 22 females] HIV positive outpatients with CD4 counts >200 cells/microl who were ART-naive were recruited and used as controls. The sero-prevalence of crag in the patients and the control group was measured using the cryptococcal antigen latex agglutination system [CALAS] [Meridian Bioscience, Europe] and CD4 counts were measured using flow cytometry [Partec flow cytometer, Germany]. Of the 150 ART-naive AIDS patients with CD4 counts