title: Short report: Evaluation of hepatic fibrosis in persons co-infected with Schistosoma mansoni and human immunodeficiency virus 1.
abstract: To investigate whether infection with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) affects fibrosis development in patients infected with Schistosoma mansoni, we evaluated schistosomiasis-induced pathology in the livers of Kenyan patients co-infected with HIV-1. Compared with persons with schistosomiasis alone (n = 58), there were no significant differences in distribution of ultrasound-detectable pathology in persons with HIV-1 co-infection (n = 23). Similarly, serum aspartate aminotransferase levels were not significantly different in HIV-1+ individuals. Hepatic fibrosis was associated with significantly decreased CD4+ T cell counts, even in the absence of HIV-1 infection. These data suggest that HIV-1 co-infection does not significantly alter the proportion of patients experiencing schistosomiasis-induced fibrosis, but pathology associated with S. mansoni infections leads to CD4+ T cell reductions and thereby may exacerbate the effects of HIV-1 in co-infected individuals.
authors.affiliation: Center for Vector Biology and Control Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya. pmwinzi@kisian.mimcom.net
authors.forename: Pauline N M
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Mwinzi
authors.forename: Diana M S
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Karanja
authors.forename: Ireri
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kareko
authors.forename: Phillip W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Magak
authors.forename: Alloys S S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Orago
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Colley
authors.forename: W Evan
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Secor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases