INTRODUCTION: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) coinfection worsens HIV care outcomes and liver disease risk, but genotype-specific data in the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Region is limited. To address this gap, we assessed HBV genotype distribution and genotype-specific clinical features in a cohort of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Maputo City, Mozambique. METHODS: T cell count, HIV viral load) were recorded. Fibrosis was estimated using the AST-Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) score and WHO thresholds. R was applied for statistical analyses. Group comparisons used Pearson's chi-squared or Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon rank sum tests (complete-case analysis). RESULTS: Of 1,106 newly diagnosed ART-naïve PLHIV, 81 (7.3%) were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive and genotyping was successful in 55 (68%). Among HBV genotyped patients, the median age was 33.0 years (IQR 30.0, 39.0), 37 (67.3%) were male, 46 (83.6%) had HBV genotype A (subgenotype A1) and 9 (16.4%) genotype E. Median AST, ALT, and APRI scores tended to be higher in genotype E than subgenotype A1 cases, although differences were not statistically significant (AST 71.9 vs. 37.9 U/L; IQR 26.0-118.0 vs. 29.0-98.1; ALT 36.5 vs. 32.6 U/L; IQR 20.4-63.0 vs. 20.2-57.7; APRI 1.3 vs. 0.5; IQR 0.3-1.8 vs. 0.3-1.3). HBV DNA > 2,000 IU/mL occurred in 52.2% of subgenotype A1 and 55.6% of genotype E cases. Most cases were HBeAg-negative (A1: 36/46, 78.3%; E: 6/9, 66.7%). CONCLUSION: HBV subgenotype A1 and genotype E are prevalent among HIV/HBV coinfected patients in Maputo, often with high HBV DNA levels and evidence of liver injury. Routine HBV screening, simple fibrosis assessment and further research are recommended.
Chambal et al. (Mon,) studied this question.