Prevalence of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Among Subjects Infected with Human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Strains 1 and 2

Abstract

A total of 76 clinically and laboratory-confirmed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected-patients, which comprised 45 from University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and Central Hospital, Benin City and 31 from Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and General Hospital, Lagos; were used in this study. Forty-six of them (22 males and 24 females) were infected with HIV–1, while 30 (16 males and 14 females), were infected with HIV–2. Demonstration of acid fast bacilli in their sputum samples (three consecutive early morning samples) was used for laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis. HIV-1 patients with tuberculosis were 80.4% as against 56.7% of HIV–2 patients. There was a significant association between HIV strains and tuberculosis infectivity or distribution (X2: P < 0.05; Q = 0.52). Approximately the same tuberculosis distribution pattern was found in Benin City and Lagos among HIV patients. Females infected with HIV–1 had higher incidence of tuberculosis in both locations, but male/female ratio of 2:1 in Benin City and 1:1 in Lagos was observed as the tuberculosis distribution pattern in HIV–2 patients. The ages 29 – 37 years and 20 – 28 years of for HIV–1 and HIV–2 respectively, had highest distribution of tuberculosis among males and females. However, there was no association between location, sex, age HIV strain and tuberculosis distribution among HIV patients (X2: P > 0.05). HIV – 1 has a greater capacity to reactivate or predispose HIV patient to tuberculosis.