title: Onchocerciasis and human immunodeficiency virus in western Uganda: prevalences and treatment with ivermectin.
abstract: Epidemiologic investigations were made to assess the interaction between onchocerciasis and human immunodeficiency (HIV) type 1 infection and the efficacy of ivermectin treatment. Among 1,910 Onchocerca volvulus carriers in a hyperendemic focus, 73 (3.8%) were concurrently infected with HIV and 20 (7.2%) of 276 persons without microfilariae (mf) were HIV-seropositive. A stratified analysis showed no epidemiologic association between onchocerciasis and HIV infection. Consistently, a microfilaria density of 11.9 mf/mg of skin in HIV-positive subjects and 17.7 mf/mg in HIV-negatives ones was observed. During mass treatment of onchocerciasis with a single dose of 150 micrograms/kg of ivermectin, no difference of the efficacy was detected between persons with or without HIV and side effects in the two groups were similar. Even in HIV-positive persons with a reduced ratio of CD4+:CD8+ cells and reduced numbers of CD4+ cells, a significant reduction of their microfilaria density was observed after treatment with ivermectin. Thus, in HIV-endemic areas, the usual dose of ivermectin can be administered during mass treatment.
authors.affiliation: Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kipp
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kabwa
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Buttner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D017181:Onchocerca volvulus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009855:Onchocerciasis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies; D007559:Ivermectin