Serological detection of Zika Virus infection among HIV infected pregnant women in Dutse, Jigawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Zika virus infection is one of the emerging often neglected viral infections in Africa. A study to determine the seroprevalence of Zika Virus (ZIKV) infection among HIV Positive Pregnant Women in Dutse, Jigawa state, Nigeria was conducted. A total of 89 HIV positive pregnant women were randomly selected for the study. Samples were collected between February, 2020 and March, 2021 from Rashid Shekoni specialist Hospital and Dutse General Hospital respectively. A standard rapid immuno-chromatographic technique that is; rapid ELISA was used to screen all the sera for IgM antibodies to Zika virus in addition to haematological analysis using Automated Haematological Analyser (Sysmex, KX-21N). Result has shown that out of the 89 participants enrolled, 4 (4.5%) of them were infected with Zika virus. Seventy-five Percent (75%) of the study participants had PCV below 30% and Lymphocytes below 20%. It was also found that, 75% of the participants that have Zika virus infection were in their first trimester of pregnancy. It can be concluded that, there is a low sero-prevalence of ZIKV infection in the study population. However, the need for public health authorities to provide quick response for the prevention of transmission of Zika virus in the state cannot be overemphasized. Hospital delivery among HIV positive pregnant women co-infected with Zika virus should be encouraged in Jigawa State to prevent vertical transmission to their babies.