Abstract

Background and objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infections are common due to their overlapping modes of transmission. Since, there has been a rapid increase in the HBV cases and sparse literature regarding the viral co-infections in Belagavi, the current study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors influencing the co-infection of HCV and HIV among Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive patients in Belagavi.

Methodology: Serum samples were collected from 3278 subject and screened for HBsAg by Rapid Test and later positive samples were confirmed by HBsAg ELISA. The samples were further screened for HCV ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and HIV rapid test and ELISA for confirmation. Data analysis was done using Chi- square test and categorical outcomes were studied using percentage. p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: Of the 75 HBsAg positive patients, prevalence peaked in the age range of 33-47 years. Sexual contact (18.67%) was the common mode of transmission. HBsAg+HIV co-infection was 5%, while HBsAg+HCV and HBsAg+HCV+HIV coinfection was found to be 0%.

Conclusion: The study observed a high prevalence of HBsAg and HIV co-infections among the Belagavi population, emphasizing the need for a thorough screening for all the HBV patients.

Keywords: Coinfection; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Hepatitis B surface antigens; Hepatitis C; HIV