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World J Gastroenterol. Oct 7, 2007; 13(37): 5015-5020
Published online Oct 7, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i37.5015
Coinfection of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus in HIV-infected patients in south India
Shanmugam Saravanan, Vijayakumar Velu, Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy, Subhadra Nandakumar, Kailapuri Gangatharan Murugavel, Pachamuthu Balakrishnan, Solomon Suniti, Sadras Panchatcharam Thyagarajan
Shanmugam Saravanan, Vijayakumar Velu, Subhadra Nandakumar, Sadras Panchatcharam Thyagarajan, Department of Microbiology, Dr ALM PGIBMS, University of Madras, Chennai 600 113 and National Referral Centre for Viral Hepatitis, India
Shanmugam Saravanan, Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy, Kailapuri Gangatharan Murugavel, Pachamuthu Balakrishnan, Solomon Suniti, Sadras Panchatcharam Thyagarajan, YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education, VHS campus, Taramani, Chennai 600 113, India
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by a grant-in-aid for “Referral Center for Chronic Hepatitis and Molecular Virology” at Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Madras from the Indian Council of Medical Research India
Correspondence to: Dr. Sadras Panchatcharam Thyagarajan, YRG Centre for AIDS Research and Education, VHS Campus, Taramani, Chennai 600 113, India. saravanan@yrgcare.org
Telephone: +91-44-22542929 Fax: +91-44-22542939
Received: February 11, 2007
Revised: July 1, 2007
Accepted: July 26, 2007
Published online: October 7, 2007
Abstract

AIM: To screen for the co-infection of hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients in southern India.

METHODS: Five hundred consecutive HIV infected patients were screened for Hepatitis B Virus (HBsAg and HBV-DNA) and Hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV and HCV-RNA) using commercially available ELISA kits; HBsAg, HBeAg/anti-HBe (Biorad laboratories, USA) and anti-HCV (Murex Diagnostics, UK). The HBV-DNA PCR was performed to detect the surface antigen region (pre S-S). HCV-RNA was detected by RT-PCR for the detection of the constant 5' putative non-coding region of HCV.

RESULTS: HBV co-infection was detected in 45/500 (9%) patients and HCV co-infection in 11/500 (2.2%) subjects. Among the 45 co-infected patients only 40 patients could be studied, where the detection rates of HBe was 55% (22/40), antiHBe was 45% (18/40) and HBV-DNA was 56% (23/40). Among 11 HCV co-infected subjects, 6 (54.5%) were anti-HCV and HCV RNA positive, while 3 (27.2%) were positive for anti-HCV alone and 2 (18%) were positive for HCV RNA alone.

CONCLUSION: Since the principal routes for HIV transmission are similar to that followed by the hepatotropic viruses, as a consequence, infections with HBV and HCV are expected in HIV infected patients. Therefore, it would be advisable to screen for these viruses in all the HIV infected individuals and their sexual partners at the earliest.

Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, Human immunodeficiency virus, Co-infection, Hepatotrophic viruses, HBV and HCV India, HBV and HCV and HIV