Prevalence of human pegivirus (HPgV) infection in patients carrying HIV-1C or Non-C in southern Brazil

Abstract

Previous studies have demonstrated that coinfection with HPgV is a protective factor for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, leading to slower disease progression, and longer survival after established disease. The present study sought to estimate the prevalence of HPgV infection and associated risk factors in patients harboring C or non-C HIV-1 subtypes followed-up at HU-FURG, southern Brazil. Samples from 347 HIV–1-infected subjects were subjected to plasma RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, HPgV RNA detection, and HIV-1 genotyping. The overall prevalence of HPgV RNA was 34%. Individuals aged 18–30 years had higher chances of infection compared with those 50 years or older (95%CI 1.18–52.36, P¼ 0.03). The number of sexual partner between one and three was a risk factor for HPgV infection (95%CI 1.54–10.23; P< 0.01), as well as the time since diagnosis of HIV-1 11 years (95%CI 1.01–2.89; P¼ 0.04). Patients infected with HIV non-C subtypes had six times more chance of being HPgV-infected when compared to subtype C-infected subjects (95%CI 2.28–14.78; P< 0.01). This was the first study conducted in southern Brazil to find the circulation of HPgV. HIV/HPgV coinfection was associated with a longer survival among HIVþ patients. Of novelty, individuals infected by HIV non-C subtypes were more susceptible to HPgV infection. However, additional studies are needed to correlate the HIV-1 subtypes with HPgV infection and to clarify cellular and molecular pathways through which such associations are ruled.