HIV-1/HIV-2 co-infection among voluntary counselling and testing subjects at a regional hospital in Cameroon

Background: HIV/AIDS is a major public health problem in Cameroon which had a prevalence of 5.1% in 2010 with 141 new infections per day. The fear of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) is an obstacle to HIV prevention.
Objectives: To determine the prevalence of HIV-1, HIV-2 and HIV-1/HIV-2 co-infection among people attending a health facility for VCT.
Methods: Venous blood was collected from participants using aseptic techniques in a descriptive observational crosssectional study. DETERMINE HIV-1/2 and SD BIOLINE HIV-1/2 3.0 qualitative tests were used for the detection of HIV-1 and HIV-2 in their sera. Range and consistency checks were carried out on the data and analysed using Epi-Info.
Results: Of 290 individuals tested, 78(26.9%) were positive for HIV-1 and HIV-2. Among the 78 HIV positive individuals, 62 (79.5%) had HIV-1, 1(1.3%) had HIV-2 and 15(19.2%) had concurrent HIV-1/ HIV-2. Among those infected, 57(73.1%) were females including 21(26.9%) males.
Conclusion: HIV-1 is the major cause of AIDS and VCT is well accepted. Co-infection with HIV-1/HIV-2 may lead to anti-retroviral drug resistance. VCT should be encouraged so that positive cases can initiate therapy on time to stay ahead of anti-retroviral drug resistance.

Keywords
HIV-1, HIV-2, HIV-1/HIV-2 co-infection, AIDS, sero-prevalence, voluntary counselling and testing; Cameroon