title: Prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi/HIV coinfection in southern Brazil.
abstract: Chagas disease reactivation has been a defining condition for acquired immune deficiency syndrome in Brazil for individuals coinfected with Trypanosoma cruzi and HIV since 2004. Although the first coinfection case was reported in the 1980s, its prevalence has not been firmly established. In order to know coinfection prevalence, a cross-sectional study of 200 HIV patients was performed between January and July 2013 in the city of Pelotas, in southern Rio Grande do Sul, an endemic area for Chagas disease. Ten subjects were found positive for T. cruzi infection by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay and indirect immunofluorescence. The survey showed 5% coinfection prevalence among HIV patients (95% CI: 2.0-8.0), which was 3.8 times as high as that estimated by the Ministry of Health of Brazil. Six individuals had a viral load higher than 100,000copies per μL, a statistically significant difference for T. cruzi presence. These findings highlight the importance of screening HIV patients from Chagas disease endemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Saúde Materno-Infantil, Pelotas, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Instituto de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Parasitologia, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dulce
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stauffert
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Saúde Materno-Infantil, Pelotas, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Programa Pós-graduação em Epidemiologia, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariangela Freitas da
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Programa Pós-graduação em Epidemiologia, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marília Arndt
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mesenburg
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Saúde Materno-Infantil, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriane Brod
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Manta
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Instituto de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Parasitologia, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alessandra da Silva
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Dutra
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Faculdade de Medicina, Departamento de Saúde Materno-Infantil, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme Lucas de Oliveira
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Bicca
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Instituto de Biologia, Programa de Pós-graduação em Parasitologia, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: marcos.villela@ufpel.edu.br.
authors.forename: Marcos Marreiro
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Villela
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D060085:Coinfection; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005260:Female; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: AIDS; Chagas disease; Trypanosoma cruzi