Reduced serum tetanus antibody titre in HIV infected subjects with malaria co-infection in a malaria endemic area of Nigeria

Abstract

Tetanus infection is widespread and difficult to completely eradicate. Thus the present study was designed to assess the tetanus antibody titre in HIV infected subjects in relation to the presence or absence of malaria parasitaemia. 107 subjects consisting of asymptomatic group (asymptomatic HIV, n=17 and asymptomatic HIV-Malaria co-infection, n=17), symptomatic group (symptomatic HIV, n=18 and symptomatic HIV-Malaria co-infection, n=17), and control group (control without malaria, n=19 and control with malaria, n=19) participated in the study. Blood sample collected from the participants were used for the determination of packed cell volume, CD4+ T cell count, malaria parasite, HIV seropositivity and tetanus antibody titre using standard laboratory methods. The tetanus antibody titre was significantly reduced in symptomatic HIV infected subjects with malaria co-infection compared with symptomatic HIV infected subjects without malaria (P<0.05). Similarly, both groups of asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV infected subjects had reduced serum tetanus antibody titre compared with the seronegative control subjects and group
with malaria parasitaemia (P<0.05). The CD4+ T cell count and packed cell volume were similar between the asymptomatic HIV infected subjects with malaria and those with only HIV. This was also the case for the symptomatic groups. The finding of the present study suggests that either HIV or malaria infections do interfere with the tetanus antibody titre. The increasing spread of HIV in malaria endemic areas may pose further threat to the current programmes on immunization targeted at eliminating tetanus infection..

Keywords: HIV; Malaria; Vaccine; Human.

International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences Vol. 2 (4) 2008: pp. 462-468