Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are public health problems in sub-Saharan countries such as the Republic of Congo. HIV infection could impact the characteristics of HCV infection in co-infected people. We investigated HCV-HIV co-infection among blood donors in Congo. Ninety-nine HIV-positive and/or HCV-seropositive blood donors were selected during screening and subsequently tested for aminotransferases and HCV RNA. A total of 29 donors were found positive for HCV RNA (HCV-infected individuals), including 19/60 (31.66%) HIV donors (co-infected) and 10/39 (25.64%) non-HIV donors (mono-infected). Most of the co-infected donors (17/19) displayed a high viral load (> 5 log). The median HCV RNA level was at least 2 logs higher in co-infected people. The levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were also slightly higher in co-infected donors than in HCV mono-infected donors. This study reports HCV-HIV co-infection among blood donors in Congo and shows that HCV viral load is higher in HIV donors.
Highlights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are public health problems in subSaharan countries such as the Republic of Congo
It is well known that patients chronically infected with HCV are at a high risk of developing liver cirrhosis and endstage liver disease (ESLD) [4]
HCV could be a threat among HIV-infected patients in Congo, since ESLD was reported as a major cause of death among HIV-infected individuals in areas where antiretroviral therapy (ART) is available [5,6]
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are public health problems in subSaharan countries such as the Republic of Congo. We investigated HCV-HIV co-infection among blood donors in Congo. Conclusion: This study reports HCV-HIV co-infection among blood donors in Congo and shows that HCV viral load is higher in HIV donors. Antiretroviral drugs from the Global Fund are available for most HIV-infected patients in Congo, while chronically HCV-infected patients can rarely access treatments available in developed countries. HCV could be a threat among HIV-infected patients in Congo, since ESLD was reported as a major cause of death (after AIDS-related complications) among HIV-infected individuals in areas where antiretroviral therapy (ART) is available [5,6]. Our aim was to investigate HCV and HIV co-infection among asymptomatic and treatment-naïve blood donors in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo
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