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SHORT REPORT: EVALUATION OF HEPATIC FIBROSIS IN PERSONS CO-INFECTED WITH SCHISTOSOMA MANSONI AND HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS 1

2004; American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene; Volume: 71; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4269/ajtmh.2004.71.783

1476-1645

Pauline N. M. Mwinzi, Diana M. S. Karanja, IRERI KAREKO, PHILLIP W. MAGAK, Alloys S. S. Orago, Daniel G. Colley, W. Evan Secor,

Global Maternal and Child Health

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.