Seroprevalence of Brucellosis in HIV-Infected Patients in Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

Background: Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) leads to cellular immune deficiency and theoretically patients infected with HIV are susceptible to brucellosis. Objectives: The current study aimed to determine brucellosis rate in the patients infected with HIV. Patients and Methods: We included 89 HIV + patients from Sanandaj Consultation Center for Behavioral Diseases. Patients signed informed written consent before filling out the questionnaire. After serum collection, standard Wright tube, Coombs-Wright and 2ME-Wright tests were performed. Moreover, blood samples obtained from 502 individuals, who were not infected with HIV, were served as the control. Results:The mean age of participants in the experimental and control groups were 33.31 ± 7.47 and 34.38 ± 11.29 years, respectively. In the Wright tube test for the HIV + group, 71 individuals (79.8%) did not have an antibody against Brucella spp., while 18 patients (20.2%) were positive for the antibody. According to the results of Wright tube test for the control group, 63 (12.5%) participants were positive for antiBrucella antibody. The frequency of antibody against Brucella spp. in the HIV + group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P = 0.042). Conclusions: HIV positive individuals in areas endemic for brucellosis must be investigated for the disease.

Bacterial Co-infections in HIV/AIDS-positive Subjects: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Brucellosis is an endemic disease in Iran and a risk factor for HIV/AIDS-positive subjects. 18 These patients are highly susceptible to brucellosis because elimination of the intra-cellular Brucella infection requires both humoral and cellular immune responses. 24 Therefore, information about the prevalence of brucellosis in the HIV-infected groups is necessary.…”