Abstract
Human herpesviruses (HHVs) have a particularly high prevalence in certain high‐risk populations and cause increased morbidity and mortality in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Screening and treating subclinical HHV infections reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection incidence, disease progression, and transmission. However, there are few studies on HHVs, HIV coinfection rates, and their related risk factors. We aimed to clarify the prevalence of all eight HHVs in peripheral blood samples collected from HIV‐positive patients, and explore the association of HHV infection in HIV‐positive patients in an HIV‐seropositive population in Yunnan. We recruited 121 HIV‐positive patients with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and 45 healthy individuals. All the eight HHVs were detected using polymerase chain reaction and their epidemiological information and clinical data were collected and statistically analyzed. A high prevalence of HHVs (89.3%) was observed in individuals with HIV infections and with herpes simplex virus (HSV)‐2 (65.3%), and HSV‐1 (59.5%) being the most common. Coinfection with more than two different HHVs was more common in patients with HIV infections receiving HAART (72.7%) than in healthy controls. Older age, being married, higher HIV‐1 plasma viral loads, and use of antiviral protease inhibitors were independently correlated with an increased frequency of HHVs, but we found no association with CD4 count, WHO HIV clinical stage, and HIV infection duration. Our findings are of great significance for the prevention of HHV opportunistic infection in patients with AIDS and their clinical treatment.
Highlights
Screening and treating subclinical human herpesviruses (HHVs) infections may offer a slowing of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, disease progression, and its transmission
This study was initiated to evaluate the seroprevalence rates and correlates of peripheral blood among eight HHVs as well as multiple HHVs in asymptomatic, HIV‐seropositive persons treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
The prevalence of HHVs was higher in the peripheral blood of HIV‐positive individuals than in that of the control group
Summary
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) mainly infects helper T cells of the immune system and eventually leads to acquired. By the end of 2016, approximately 93 437 people were estimated to be living with HIV in Yunnan This province has been considered the epicenter of HIV‐1 in China, and was the first to conduct highly active antiretroviral therapy (HARRT) in China.[2] The course of infection of HIV‐1 is characterized by a long interval between initial infection and the onset of serious symptoms as T cell numbers are gradually reduced. HIV infection is associated with an increased risk for human herpesviruses (HHVs) and related diseases, such as AIDS‐associated oral lymphoma and oral hairy leukoplakia.[3]
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