Prevalence of Human Pegivirus (HPgV)) Among HIV/AIDS Patients in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano – Nigeria

Abstract

Human Pegivirus (HPgV) also known as hepatitis G virus is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Association between HPgV and diseases remains uncertain, however, studies have shown that co-infection of HPgV and HIV has positive impact on HIV/AIDS patient by slowing HIV disease progression. This study was conducted to find the prevalence of HPgV, its co-infection with HBV, HCV and the relationship of HPgV infection with HIV progression among HIV/AIDS patients attending Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) Kano, Nigeria. Four hundred (400) blood samples of HIV infected individuals on HAART were tested for HPgV and HIV viral load. Reverse
transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-rtPCR) was used to detect HPgV RNA and HIV viral load while the socio-demographic and risk factors for infections were recorded using structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. The prevalence of HPgV RNA was 11.5% (n=46), the frequency of HPgV infection was higher in peoples of age range 41-50years 15 (32.6%) and the prevalence increase with age from 0-50 and decrease in adult >50 years. Higher prevalence was observed among male participants 27 (58.7%), and those with multiple sexual partners 36 (78.3%). There was no significant difference in HIV viral load
between those with HPgV positive and HPgV negative (p=0.297). the coinfection rate of HPgV and HBsAg was found to be 5.5%, HPgV and HCVAb was 4.3% and 2.3% coinfection rate for HPgV/HCVAb/HBSAg.Further community-based survey is therefore needed in HPgV infected individual to assess the role of HPgV in HIV progression which may open new strategies for the development of HPgV based biotherapy for management and control of HIV/AIDS.