Abstract
Access to antiretrovirals has increased the life expectancy of patients living with HIV. However, HIV-viral hepatitis coinfections in countries endemic for these infections make management more difficult. To determine the extent of these coinfections in Gabon, we investigated markers of hepatitis B, C, and E viruses in 762 adults infected with HIV-1 by ELISA. We used real-time PCR to quantify plasma HBV DNA (HBV VL) and amplified HCV and HEV RNA by nested RT-PCR and PCR.The seroprevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection was 9.3%. Among patients with isolated HBcAc profiles, the prevalence of occult hepatitis B infection was 26.7%, for a real prevalence (detectable CV-HBV) of 17.3% of the total population. HCV seroprevalence was 8.8%. Of the 67 HIV-positive patients, 76.1% had replicative profiles (detectable HCV RNA), that is, 6.7% of the total population. For hepatitis E, seroprevalence was 3.5%. No case of chronic HEV infection was found. In conclusion, this study highlights a high rate of HIV-Hepatitis B, C and E coinfections in Gabon. In addition, we show the interest of looking for chronic infections (replicative profiles) in HIV-infected patients in Gabon. The establishment of technical platforms for this type of research, accessible to middle-income countries, is necessary.
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