The seroprevalence of COVID-19 among people living with HIV in Morocco

Wissal Bencherifi *, Ahd Ouladlahsen, Hanane Badi, Mustapha Sodqi, Latifa Marih and Kamal Marhoum Elfilali

Department of Infectious Diseases, Ibn Rochd University Hospital Casablanca, Morocco.
 
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 2024, 22(02), 972–975
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjarr.2024.22.2.1441
 
Publication history: 
Received on 02 April 2024; revised on 10 May 2024; accepted on 13 May 2024
 
Abstract: 
The association of COVID-19 and HIV infection would seem deadly in terms of prognosis and the possibilities of viral clearance given the immunodeficiency. However, a lower seroprevalence has been reported in some studies compared to that found in the non-HIV population. The objective of this study is to determine the seroprevalence of COVID-19 among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Morocco.
This is a prospective study carried out in the infectious diseases department of the Ibn Rochd University Hospital in Casablanca. We included PLHIV who consulted the Infectious Diseases Day-Hospital service between January 18, 2021 and March 10, 2021. After informed consent, patients completed a survey and had blood drawn for SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing. The determination of IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in blood was carried out using chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay technology.
We included 418 PLHIV in the study, most patients were male (50.24%), the average age was 40 years, 90.2% of patients were on antiretroviral treatment, 56.7% had a viral load <20 copies/ml, and 47.37% had a CD4 count greater than 500 cells/μL. The IgG test was positive in 53 patients, representing a seroprevalence of 12.68%. None of the patients had clinical signs. Seroprevalence was higher in female patients (58.49%), aged between 30 and 40 years (41.51%), in patients with a negative viral load (64.15%) and a CD4 count greater than 500 cells/mm3 (49.6%).
Our study showed that the seroprevalence of COVID-19 was higher among PLHIV compared to people without HIV infection. All the patients had asymptomatic forms which pushes us to evoke a theory, to demonstrate, of the action of antiretrovirals against SARS-CoV-2.
 
Keywords: 
HIV; Seroprevalence; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Antibody
 
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