Parasitic and Vector-Borne Infections in HIV-Positive Patients in Slovakia-Evidence of an Unexpectedly High Occurrence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum

In HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infected people, the immunodeficiency caused by a reduced level of CD4 (cluster of differentiation 4) T-lymphocytes increases the risk of infectious diseases. Additionally, in individuals with immunologically compromising conditions, tick-borne or some parasitic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pathogens (Basel) 2021-11, Vol.10 (12), p.1557
Main Authors: Šimeková, Katarína, Soják, Ľubomír, Víchová, Bronislava, Balogová, Lenka, Jarošová, Júlia, Antolová, Daniela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
Antibodies
Arachnids
Blood & organ donations
Borrelia
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato
CD4 antigen
CD4 T-lymphocytes
Health risks
HIV
HIV infection
human granulocytic anaplasmosis
Human immunodeficiency virus
Immune system
Immunoglobulin G
Infections
Infectious diseases
Lymphocytes
Lymphocytes T
Msp2 gene
Opportunist infection
Parasites
Parasitic diseases
Pathogens
Patients
Toxocara
Toxoplasma gondii
Vector-borne diseases
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Summary:In HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infected people, the immunodeficiency caused by a reduced level of CD4 (cluster of differentiation 4) T-lymphocytes increases the risk of infectious diseases. Additionally, in individuals with immunologically compromising conditions, tick-borne or some parasitic pathogens may cause chronic, debilitating opportunistic infections and even death. The study aimed at determining the IgG seropositivity of HIV-infected patients to , spp., , and s.l. and performing the molecular identification of and some tick-borne pathogens, namely, spp., spp., , spp., and spp. Out of 89 HIV-positive patients, specific IgG antibodies to were detected in 17 (19.1%) and to spp. in 12 (13.5%) individuals. Seropositivity to spp., and s.l. was not recorded. Molecular approaches showed positivity to in two (2.2%) patients, and 11 (12.4%) individuals had positive PCR signal for the gene of . Relatively high prevalence of in HIV-positive patients suggests that these people are more susceptible to some vector-borne pathogens. The presence of opportunistic infections may pose a health risk for patients with weakened immune systems, and should not be neglected during the regular monitoring of the patient's health status.
ISSN:2076-0817
2076-0817
DOI:10.3390/pathogens10121557