Aim: HIV/AIDS continues to spread globally and remains a worldwide pandemic. Opportunistic infections (OIs) occur more and are severe in people living with HIV who have weakened immune systems, and co-infection is another major challenge because it affects the rate to which the disease progress to AIDS. In the present study, a total of 100 HIV positive patients were recruited and evaluated for the presence of common opportunistic infections (OIs) and co-infections among HIV-infected individuals in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Prime Medical Consultants in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, between June 2012 and July 2015. Methods: A total of 100 HIV-infected individuals were recruited for this study (ages 1 to 70 years, 62 males and 38 females). Samples of blood, sputum, high vaginal swabs (HVS) and scrapped lesion from the mouth of the patients were collected. Blood samples were re-screened for the presence of HIV antibodies and HBsAg using the Determine HIV-1/2 (Alere), HIV ½ Stat-Pak (Chembio), HIV-1/2/P24/O ELISA kit and HBsAg one Ultra ELISA kit (Dia.Pro) following the respective manufacturer's instructions. The Ziehl-Neelsen sputum smear microscopy method was used for identifying tuberculosis (TB). Microscopical examination was done on HVS samples and lesions scrapings from the mouth to observe for Candida. Chi-square test was used to establish relationships between demographic factors and prevalence, and significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: Of the 100 HIV positive patients, suspected case were 32.0% of TB, 28.0% of oral thrush and vaginosis, and 19.0% of hepatitis. The results of the laboratory analysis further showed that tuberculosis was the most common OI among others. Overall prevalence was 22.0% for TB, 11.0% for Candida albicans (oral thrush), 28.9% for Candida albicans (vaginosis) and 4.0% for HBV.  Higher prevalence of TB was observed in the age groups 41 years & above (35.7%, P=0.14) and in males (22.6%, P=0.86). As for Candida albicans, the higher prevalence was found in age groups 21-40 years (19.1%, P=0.03) and in females only (28.9%), and higher prevalence of HBV was found in age groups 41 years & above (9.1%, P=0.78) and in females (5.3%, P=0.61). None of the variables (age and sex) evaluated in this study was statistically associated (P>0.05) with TB, Candida and HBV prevalence. Conclusion: The study has also shown that some opportunistic infections (candidiasis and Tuberculosis) and coinfections with HBV is prevalent among HIV infected individuals and this could largely be due to a compromised immune system as a result of the viral activities in the host cell. There is need therefore to routinely check for OIs and co-infections especially in the case of an immunocompromised individual. It is also imperative to note that the appropriate use of drugs against these OIs may be one of the strategies to extend the life span of AIDS patients. This will help to monitor how the disease progresses and its complications.

Aim: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), the causative agent of tuberculosis, is a strictly aerobic bacterium that grows fastidiously and slow, which is among the top 10 causes of death globally and the leading cause from a single infectious agent (above HIV/AIDS). Among the deadly diseases ravaging the world, tuberculosis remains one of the commonest and deadliest. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) among the athletes of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Rivers State, Nigeria. Study Design:  Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Sports Institute, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Nigeria, between June 2012 and July 2015. Methods: A total of 100 university athletes (51 males and 49 females, the age ranged from 15-47 years) was recruited for this study. Blood samples were collected from the athletes and analyzed for serum IgG antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. OneStep Tuberculosis (TB) rapid test was used for the detection of TB antibody (Isotypes IgG, IgM and IgA) in whole blood samples from the subjects. Commercially available ELISA based kits (manufactured by Dia.Pro, Milano, Italy) were also used. Results: The seropositivity of TB among the athletes was 5.0%. The result of the study showed that male athletes had a higher prevalence of tuberculosis than their female counterpart (5.9% vs 4.1%). Subsequently, the age groups 15-25 years had a higher prevalence of tuberculosis (6.5%) compared to age groups 26 years and above (2.6%). A significant association existed between the athletes' ages and TB prevalence (p= 0.035) and none existed with gender (p=0.654). Conclusion: This study confirms the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific antibodies among university athletes. Strict surveillance of the diseases is highly recommended to curb its spread and the potential increase in Multidrug-resistance tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and Extensively drug-resistance Tuberculosis (XDR-TB) as it is highly contagious.

Aim: Athletes are not immune to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency, and these conditions do not cause any harm or damage to their body as long as the necessary precautions in term of medications and others are adhered to. This research’s main objective was to determine the prevalence rate of G-6-PD deficiency and HIV among the University athletes in Rivers State, Nigeria. Study Design:  Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Sports Institute, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Nigeria, between June 2012 and July 2015. Methods: A total of 258 athletes were screened (134 females and 124 males) for HIV and G-6-PD deficiency. The athletes’ ages, gender and dates of birth were obtained and recorded. The presence of the HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibody was detected using the Uni-Gold™ Recombigen® HIV-1/2 for the detection of HIV. While Beutler Semi-quantitative G-6-PD Test Kit (BSA-3000) was utilized for the quantitative detection of G-6-PD deficiency in whole blood. Results: Of the 258 athletes tested, 0.7% was G-6-PD deficient while 1.2% was positive for HIV. The G-6-PD deficient positive cases were found in the age range of 21-25 years while the higher prevalence of HIV was observed in the age range 31-35 years (4.8%), followed by 26-30 years (1.9%) and the least was observed in the age group 21-25 years (0.7%). Age and gender had no significant relationship with the positivity of the athletes to HIV and G-6-PD (p-value >0.05). Conclusion: This study confirms the presence of HIV and G-6-PD deficiency among university athletes in Rivers State, Nigeria. This calls for routine testing of both the athletes and the general public for G-6-PD deficiency to prevent hemolysis causes by G-6-PD deficiency.