HIV and SARS-CoV-2 Coinfection - Cross-Sectional Findings from a German 'Hotspot'

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 coinfection in people living with HIV has not been investigated systematically. Based on several considerations it is, however, unclear if data from general populations can serve as a reference. This study aimed to determine the proportion of people living with HIV with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG-antibodies in a sample from a large single HIV center in Munich, Germany, after the first phase of the coronavirus pandemic and to infer about the prevalence in people living with HIV. Methods: Prospective sub-study of the ongoing ArcHIV cohort between May and July 2020. Anti-SARSCoV-2 IgG-antibodies were measured using the recomWell SARS-CoV-2 IgG ELISA (Mikrogen, Neuried, Germany). Demographic and medical data were extracted from the electronic patient files. Findings: Overall, 500 people living with HIV were included in the study (83% male, median age: 51 years). Of those, 22 were found to be positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies (0.044), resulting in an estimated seroprevalence (considering sensitivity ans specificity of the test) of 5.1 % (CI95%: 3.17; 7.02) for the entire study sample, and 5.2 % (CI95%: 2.62; 7.69) for the subset of Munich citizens. Only two out of 22 PLWH (9.1%) with positive SARS-CoV-2 serology had previously been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 coinfection. The proportion of Caucasian people living with HIV was significantly smaller in the group with positive when compared to the group of negative test results (68.2% vs. 88.1%, p=0.021). Interpretation: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies are frequently found in people living with HIV. Many people are olig- or asymptomatic but probably still able to pass the infection to others. Racial disparities seem to play a role in the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 even in high-income areas. Funding: Mikrogen GmbH (Neuried, Germany) provided the test kits used in this study. The funding source was not involved in any aspects of the study.Declaration of Interests: All authors declare support for the study from Mikrogen GmbH (Neuried, Germany) by providing test kits used in this study. SN reports honoraria and/or grants for research or travel from Gilead Sciences, GSK, MSD Sharp & Dohme, Hexal, Hormosan Pharma, HRA Pharma, Ipsen Pharma, Janssen-Cilag, Shire Pharmaceuticals, and ViiV Healthcare. FS reports honoraria and/or grants for research or travel from Abbvie, Gilead Sciences, Hexal, Janssen-Cilag, and MSD Sharp & Dohme. SH reports honoraria and/or grants for research or travel from Abbvie, Gilead Sciences, and Janssen-Cilag. KR reports grants for travel from Abbvie and Gilead Sciences. CJ reports honoraria and/or grants for research or travel from Abbvie, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Janssen-Cilag, and ViiV Healthcare. HJ reports honoraria and/or grants for research or travel from Abbvie, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Janssen-Cilag, and ViiV Healthcare. EW reports honoraria and/or grants for research or travel from Abbvie, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Janssen-Cilag, and ViiV Healthcare. WM, FT, AK, CW, AB, and EG have nothing else to disclose.Ethics Approval Statement: This study was performed as a prospective, cross-sectional sub-study of the Munich ArcHIV cohort, an ongoing cohort in PLWH in Munich, Germany, with approval of the local ethic’s committee dating May 28th, 2020.