Prevalence and correlates of helminth co-infection in Kenyan HIV-1 infected adults.

Deworming HIV-1 infected individuals may delay HIV-1 disease progression. It is important to determine the prevalence and correlates of HIV-1/helminth co-infection in helminth-endemic areas.HIV-1 infected individuals (CD4>250 cells/ul) were screened for helminth infection at ten sites in Kenya. P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Main Authors: Judd L Walson, Barclay T Stewart, Laura Sangaré, Loice W Mbogo, Phelgona A Otieno, Benjamin K S Piper, Barbra A Richardson, Grace John-Stewart
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2010
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000644
https://doaj.org/article/e9212af43a7042f5a366fe26f3c59f22
Description
Summary:Deworming HIV-1 infected individuals may delay HIV-1 disease progression. It is important to determine the prevalence and correlates of HIV-1/helminth co-infection in helminth-endemic areas.HIV-1 infected individuals (CD4>250 cells/ul) were screened for helminth infection at ten sites in Kenya. Prevalence and correlates of helminth infection were determined. A subset of individuals with soil-transmitted helminth infection was re-evaluated 12 weeks following albendazole therapy.Of 1,541 HIV-1 seropositive individuals screened, 298 (19.3%) had detectable helminth infections. Among individuals with helminth infection, hookworm species were the most prevalent (56.3%), followed by Ascaris lumbricoides (17.1%), Trichuris trichiura (8.7%), Schistosoma mansoni (7.1%), and Strongyloides stercoralis (1.3%). Infection with multiple species occurred in 9.4% of infections. After CD4 count was controlled for, rural residence (RR 1.40, 95% CI: 1.08-1.81), having no education (RR 1.57, 95% CI: 1.07-2.30), and higher CD4 count (RR 1.36, 95% CI: 1.07-1.73) remained independently associated with risk of helminth infection. Twelve weeks following treatment with albendazole, 32% of helminth-infected individuals had detectable helminths on examination. Residence, education, and CD4 count were not associated with persistent helminth infection.Among HIV-1 seropositive adults with CD4 counts above 250 cells/mm(3) in Kenya, traditional risk factors for helminth infection, including rural residence and lack of education, were associated with co-infection, while lower CD4 counts were not.