HIV, HBV, and Plasmodium falciparum co-infections among people living with HIV presenting at a tertiary Hospital in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract Background: This study investigated hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) and malaria Plasmodium falciparum (MPF) co-infections among HIV-1 infected individuals undergoing retroviral treatment at a tertiary hospital in Bayelsa, Nigeria. Method: Two hundred (200) HIV-1 patients undergoing anti-retroviral therapy (ART) were enrolled in the study.Rapid diagnostic tests confirmed the individuals ' HIV-1 viral and malaria Plasmodium falciparum status while HBsAg was performed using the ELISA technique. Results: Overall frequency of HIV/HBsAg and HIV/ Plasmodium falciparum co-infections among the individuals were 9.6% and 14.4%, respectively. Eighteen of the individuals representing 9.0%, had HBsAg/ Plasmodium falciparum co-infection. Furthermore, of these individuals, 11 were females, representing 61.1% of positive cases and 5.5% of the total sample population. At the same time, seven were male, representing 38.9% of the positive cases and 3.5% of the total sample population. Similarly, the percentage distribution of single, married, separated /divorced, and widowed individuals is 4, 3.5, 1, and 0.5 % of the study population and 44.4, 38.9, 11.1, and 5.6 % of the HBsAg/ Plasmodium falciparum co-infected individuals. Data obtained revealed that higher educational qualifications did not reduce the co-infection rate. The percentage of individuals with tertiary, undisclosed, secondary, primary, and no education were 3.5, 2.5, 2, 0.5, and 0.5 % of the total study population and 38.9, 27.8, 22.2, 5.6 and 5.6 % of the HBsAg/ Plasmodium falciparum co-infection. Conclusion: The present study has highlighted the existence of HBsAg/ Plasmodium falciparum co-infections among HIV-1 infected individuals presenting at a teaching hospital in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, Nigeria, with HBsAg/ Plasmodium falciparum co-infection higher in singles, females, and patients with up to tertiary education. This gender gap in co-infection rates is an intriguing discovery that could necessitate more investigation.