Seroprevalence and molecular identification of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) serotypes among HIV patients attending a selected public hospital in Kano, Nigeria

Abstract

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a problem which causes liver disease worldwide and accounts for over 360 million cases of chronic hepatitis and more than one million deaths per year. HBV is a public health concern, especially among HIV-positive patients for its contribution to increasing the progression of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HBV infection and identify the HBV serotypes among HIV-positive individuals in a tertiary health care centre in Nigeria.

Blood samples of One hundred seventy-eight (178) HIV-positive patients were screened for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Socio-demographic data and risk factors data for HBV infection were collected from the study population using structured questionnaires. Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used for molecular identification of HBV using primers for all four major serotypes under study (ayw), (adw), (adr), and (ayr). The data was analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 version.

Findings showed that out of the (178) samples only Eleven (11) samples were positive for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen with a prevalence of 6.2%. Out of the 11 positive samples, 4  samples were positive for ayw serotype and none for other serotypes using Multiplex PCR with a prevalence of just 2% and the remaining samples were negative for adw,adr and ayr after completing the gene identification test signifying the presence of other minor serotypes in the population. There was no presence of false positives All 11 positive samples come from the female population. Ages (31-40) have the highest positive Hep B of up to 60 %, of the positives (11). similarly, those with non-formal education have a higher prevalence. All the risk factors considered such as marital status, self-manicure, tattoo, smoking, alcohol intake, blood transfusion, sharing of cloth, intravenous drug use, sharing of utensils and tribal marks in the study were found not to be associated with the HBV infection.

The study established a prevalence of 6.2% for HBV in the study area and also identified ayw as the most prevalent serotype of HBV detected. Due to the endemic nature of HBV infection among HIV patients that was found in this study, there is a need for preventive measures such as awareness and vaccination of HIV patients with the HBV vaccine to avoid the HIV/HBV co-infection burden. Serotypes adw, adr, and ayr