Detection of Syphilis among HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Patients in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Syphilis is still one of the major causes of death in some developing countries where HIV infection is also prevalent. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of syphilis among HIV positive and negative women in Ogun state. Methods: The serum samples of 240 (120 HIV Positive and 120 HIV Negative) consenting female participants were collected randomly and screened using two brands of Syphilis Immunochromatographic rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits: LabAcon (Biotest Biotech Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China) and Perfect (Abbon Health care, Ltd, UK). The demographic and clinical information of the participants were collected using a structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS Statistics software package (version 18.0). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey-Kramer Multiple Comparisons Test was used to test for significant differences in the prevalence of syphilis among the study population. P values <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The outcome of the study shows that Syphilis exist among both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in Ogun State with a prevalence rate of 11.7% and 4.2%, respectively using LabAcon RDT kit and also 9.2% and 2.5%, respectively, using Perfect RDT kit. The occurrence of syphilis was significantly (P<0.05) higher among HIV-positive subjects compared to their 2 Annals of Immunology & Immunotherapy Enitan SS, et al. Detection of Syphilis among HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Patients in Ogun State, Nigeria. Ann Immunol Immunother 2021, 3(2): 000144. Copyright© Enitan SS, et al. HIV-negative counterparts. All the participants who tested positive to syphilis were symptomatic regardless of their HIV status. Significant risk factors of syphilis associated with HIV infected subjects include past history of sexually transmitted infection and engagement in unprotected sex (p<0.05). Conclusion: Syphilis exists among both HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in Ogun State and therefore the need for routine screening for syphilis among women, especially those infected with HIV cannot be over-emphasized.