HIV-1 and parasitic infections in rural Tanzania.
A sample of 300 sexually-active adults was selected at random from patients, from the rural area of Malenga Makali, Tanzania, who were attending a dispensary because they had diarrhoea of at least 2 weeks' duration. The potential associations between the patient's health (in terms of the World Health Organization's clinical definition of AIDS), HIV-1 seroprevalence and malaria and other parasitic infections were then investigated. Although, HIV-1 seroprevalence was 20.6% overall, the level of seroprevalence was directly correlated with the distance between the patients' home villages and the nearest main road. Strict application of the clinical definition of AIDS gave 98.7% specificity, 46% sensitivity and a predictive value of 90.6% when validated by HIV-1 seropositivity. Although malaria infection was more common in HIV-1 seropositives than in the seronegatives, the intensity of the Plasmodium falciparum infections, intestinal amoebiasis and giardiasis did not appear to be correlated with HIV-1 infection. In contrast, intestinal infections with Cryptosporidium parvum and Isospora belli were virtually restricted to HIV-1 seropositive individuals who had had diarrhoea for a relatively long time.
Atzori
C
C
Laboratory of Clinical Parasitology, University-IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
Bruno
A
A
Chichino
G
G
Cevini
C
C
Bernuzzi
A M
AM
Gatti
S
S
Comolli
G
G
Scaglia
M
M
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D006801:Humans; D007411:Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology