title: Seroprevalence of hepatitis B and C viruses among HIV-infected pregnant women in Uganda and Rwanda.
abstract: A retrospective survey to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) infections was conducted on the samples of 247 African HIV-1 positive pregnant women who had participated to a mother-to-child prevention trial carried out in urban settings in Kampala, Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda. Hepatitis B markers studied were HBs antigen (HBsAg) and, if positive after confirmatory testing, HBe antigen/anti-HBe antibodies and HBV DNA. A fourth generation HCV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was used for primary HCV screening. Positive samples were analyzed further with a second different EIA. Both for HBV and for HCV the use of confirmatory tests allowed the removal of frequent false-positive screening results. HBsAg was found in 10/246 women (seroprevalence 4.1%, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.7-6.8): 8/164 (4.9%) in Uganda and 2/82 (2.4%) in Rwanda. HBe Ag was found in 33% of HBsAg-positive patients and HBV DNA was quantifiable in 71%. Anti-HCV antibodies were found in 5/247 women (seroprevalence 2.0% 95%CI 0.3-3.9): 1/165 (0.6%) in Uganda and 4/82 (4.9%) in Rwanda. There was no interrelation between HCV and HBV markers. There was no difference between patients with and without co-infection with HBV or HCV with regards to CD4+ cell count. Overall, hepatitis B and C co-infection was relatively infrequent in this group of pregnant women. However, since approximately 6% of HIV-positive women in these countries had a co-infection with one hepatitis virus, caution should be used in the monitoring of possible hepatotoxicity related to antiretroviral drugs in these populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Pirillo
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bassani
authors.forename: Elena A P
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Germinario
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mancini
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vyankandondera
authors.forename: Pius
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Okong
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vella
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giuliano
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000097:blood; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012432:Rwanda / Q000453:epidemiology; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies