Intestinal helminth infections in HIV-infected patients in Savannakhet after establishment of an HIV registration network in Lao People’s Democratic Republic

• Published in: Tropical Medicine and Health
• Main Authors: Yukako Kaneshiro, Khamphang Sourinphoumy, Naoki Imaizumi, Mangkhalar Rasaphon, Megumi Kuba-Miyara, Shugo Sakihama, Carmina Louise Hugo Guerrero, Ketsaphone Nhativong, Daisuke Nonaka, Tiengkham Pongvongsa, Jun Kobayashi, Sengchanh Kounnavong, Takuya Fukushima
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2019
• Subjects: Human immunodeficiency virus; Helminth infections; Human T cell leukemia virus type I; Registration network; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41182-019-0142-0; https://doaj.org/article/3be7ab6f63f44174ad7122d8b84a384b

Abstract Background In Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), which borders China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar, the number of HIV-infected patients has increased in recent years. HIV-infected patients diagnosed in Lao PDR are enrolled in a registration network and receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) covered by governmental financial support. Based on the registration network, we investigated intestinal helminth infections and coinfection with HTLV-1 in HIV-infected patients treated with an early intervention using ART in Lao PDR. Methods This cross-sectional study of all 252 HIV-infected patients at Savannakhet Provincial Hospital, located in the southern part of Lao PDR, was conducted between February and March 2018. Socioepidemiological information and clinical information were collected from a registration network database and by questionnaire administered to participants. Microscopic examination of intestinal helminth infections in stool samples and particle agglutination for anti-HTLV-1 antibody in plasma were performed. Results The median age of all 252 participants was 39 years old (range, 18–59). Based on the registration network database, there were 156 (61.9%) HIV-infected patients with a CD4-positive cell count ≥ 200 cells/μL and 146 (57.9%) with an HIV viral load < 250 copies/mL. Among 212 stool samples, 75 (35.4%) were found to contain one or more intestinal helminth species, including Opisthorchis viverrini (16.5%), Strongyloides stercoralis (10.8%), hookworm (10.4%), and Taenia saginata (3.3%). This rate of intestinal helminth infections was lower than that of a previous report conducted before the establishment of the registration network for HIV-infected patients in Lao PDR. There was no significant association between intestinal helminth infections and a lower CD4-positive T cell count or higher HIV viral load. HIV-infected patients with anti-HTLV-1 antibody positivity were not found in this cohort. Conclusion The registration network and an early intervention using ART may ...