Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus Infection and Associated Risk Factors among Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Patients Attending Thika Level 5 Hospital, Kenya

Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an important pathogen in immunocompromised individuals. Coupled with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), it causes end organ diseases leading to increased morbidity and mortality in the population. The prevalence of Cytomegalovirus infection is above 93% in HIV infected children in Kenya. Despite, a high Cytomegalovirus seroprevalence found in children, few studies have documented CMV in adults. This study was done to determine the seroprevalence of CMV infection and its associated risk factors among HIV patients attending Thika level 5 Hospital in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study also evaluated the effect CMV infection on the immunity of HIV infected patients. A cross-sectional study involving 163 HIV positive participants from different age groups was carried out. A questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic and specific risk factors associated with cytomegalovirus. Blood was collected and analyzed for CD4 counts, CMV IgG and IgM. The seroprevalence of CMV was found to be 89% (CMV IgG) while the incidence was 10.4% (CMV IgM). The study found that CMV infection leads to more suppression of the immunity among the HIV infected patients. In addition, education, economic status, having other sexual transmitted infections, sharing drinks, immune status and blood transfusion were associated with CMV infection (p < 0.05). The study recommends adoption of CMV screening services and education on CMV risk factors as CMV infection preventive strategies.

Progression of retinal choroidal neovascularization by latent human cytomegalovirus infection and immunological signaling among neonatal patients admitted to tertiary care hospital

“…9 Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the order Herpesvirales sub-family Betaherpesvirinae, causes severe health complications in diverse populations and has been extensively researched. 10 HCMV disease progression relies on IE-1, glycoproteins, and US gene products. Latent HCMV reactivation can cause retinopathy in newborns.…”

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) IgM antibodies among HIV-infected patients at a teaching hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

“…Because of the non-specificity of clinical symptoms caused by CMV infection, laboratory examination is the main basis for the diagnosis of CMV infection. The most two widely used clinical methods are CMV virus replication and serum immunological methods including the detection of CMV IgG, CMV IgM and CMV antigen PP65 (Mangare et al, 2018). The anti-CMV-IgM antibody is often used as a marker of active viral infection while the IgG antibody is indicative of previous infection (Zhao et al, 2020).…”