The Prevalence of Human Cytomegalovirus Viremia among HIV-1 Infected Individuals Undergoing Antiretroviral Therapy

Abstract

HIV infection is an emerging health issue in Libya, particularly among young adults. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a prevalent infectious agent that presents with subclinical and fatal diseases in immunosuppressed individuals including HIV-infected individuals. Although the impact of HCMV infection in HIV-positive patients is well documented in several regions, epidemiologic estimates concerning HCMV co-infection among HIV-infected individuals remain limited in Libya. Hence, this cross-sectional study was undertaken to derive data regarding the prevalence of active HCMV viremia among HIVinfected individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) from Libya. A total of 90 consented HIV-infected subjects followed by the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) of Benghazi/Libya were recruited in this study and investigated for HCMV-IgG, HCMV-IgM specific antibodies, detection of HCMV lower matrix phosphoprotein (pp65) antigen, and detection of HCMV-DNA using qPCR to assess the prevalence of HCMV viremia. We determined that 77 (85.56%) of subjects were seropositive for HCMV-IgG antibodies, whereas the seropositivity for HCMV-IgM was 3.33% (3/90 subjects). Our results also revealed that 4.44% (4/90) of participants had viral antigenemia based on the laboratory diagnosis of HCMV-pp65. Regarding the PCR, we were able to detect the DNA of HCMV only in 3/90 subjects (3.33%) suggesting an active viremic condition. The detection of HCMV DNA along with the HCMV-pp65 in HIV-positive individuals highlights the necessity of early diagnosis to manage the progression of the disease. Furthermore, we highly recommend the use of anti-HCMV therapy in viremic individuals in