Short report: Evaluation of hepatic fibrosis in persons co-infected with Schistosoma mansoni and human immunodeficiency virus 1

• Published in: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 71; no. 6; p. 783
• Main Authors: Mwinzi, Pauline N M, Karanja, Diana M S, Kareko, Ireri, Magak, Phillip W, Orago, Alloys S S, Colley, Daniel G, Secor, W Evan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-12-2004
• Subjects: Adult; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; HIV Infections - complications; HIV-1; Humans; Kenya; Liver - pathology; Liver Cirrhosis - etiology; Liver Cirrhosis - immunology; Liver Cirrhosis - pathology; Lymphocyte Count; Schistosomiasis mansoni - complications; Kenya
• ISSN: 0002-9637
• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.2004.71.783

To investigate whether infection with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) affects fibrosis development in patients infected with Schistosoma mansoni, we evaluated schistosomiasis-induced pathology in the livers of Kenyan patients co-infected with HIV-1. Compared with persons with schistosomiasis alone (n = 58), there were no significant differences in distribution of ultrasound-detectable pathology in persons with HIV-1 co-infection (n = 23). Similarly, serum aspartate aminotransferase levels were not significantly different in HIV-1+ individuals. Hepatic fibrosis was associated with significantly decreased CD4+ T cell counts, even in the absence of HIV-1 infection. These data suggest that HIV-1 co-infection does not significantly alter the proportion of patients experiencing schistosomiasis-induced fibrosis, but pathology associated with S. mansoni infections leads to CD4+ T cell reductions and thereby may exacerbate the effects of HIV-1 in co-infected individuals.