HIV and tuberculosis co-infection among migrants in Portugal: a brief study on their sociodemographic, clinical, and genomic characteristics

Ana Maria Tavares, Marta Pingarilho, Judite Batista, Miguel Viveiros, Sónia Dias, Cristina Toscano, Perpétua Gomes, Ana B Abecasis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

HIV and tuberculosis (TB) are among the global deadliest diseases. Migrant populations are particularly vulnerable to these infections. Yet, literature is still scarce on the epidemiology of HIV-TB co-infection among migrants. In this study, we characterized native and migrant HIV patients followed in Portuguese hospitals, who were diagnosed with TB, regarding their sociodemographic, clinical, and genomic characteristics. Among 67 patients with HIV and TB diagnoses, there were 24 migrants, most from sub-Saharan Africa. Most patients had CD4+ T cell counts below 350 cells/μL, and were diagnosed simultaneously for HIV and TB. When compared to natives, migrants presented a higher proportion of non-B HIV-1 infections. Patients infected with these non-B HIV-1 strains presented higher viral loads, which can have an important impact for the transmissibility and pathogenicity of both diseases. Future studies should investigate different HIV strains and consequences for TB and HIV transmission and disease outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)34-37
JournalAIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
Volume37
Issue number1
Early online date19 Oct 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

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