Hepatitis C virus antibody viraemia and genotypes in individuals infected with HIV-1 in Cameroon.

Between January 1992 and mid-February 1993 researchers enrolled 80 liver disease-free persons (33 females aged 17-52 47 males aged 19-55) from throughout Cameroon in a study to determine the prevalence of viremia and genotypes of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in persons with HIV-1. 71% of the subjects had AIDS. Enzyme immune assays were used to detect HCV antibodies. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to identify HCV viremia. 15% of the HIV-1 infected persons had antibodies to HCV. 67% (8) of the 12 HCV antibody-positive subjects were viremic (HCV RNA-positive). There was no association between HCV seropositivity and the stage of HIV-1 infection (22% of asymptomatic subjects and 12% of AIDS patients; p = 0.31). 71% of seven HCV sera had genotype 1b. None of the HCV antibody positive subjects reacted with the hypervariable region encoding the non-structural protein 1 (E1-NSI domain) in LIA (a 3rd-generation immunoblot assay) intimating failure to respond to this antigen in immunocompromised HIV-1 infected persons. These findings suggest that HCV and HIV-1 have similar modes of transmission in Cameroon. Larger studies need to verify or refute this hypothesis. If indeed HIV and HCV-1 share similar transmission modes HIV prevention strategies would also prevent the spread of HCV.