Serum IgG antibody against human cytomegalovirus in HIV-infected patients presenting at a tertiary hospital in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection goes unnoticed in most clinical settings, despite the fact that it can lead to more serious conditions, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Having understood the mortality of HCMV mostly in immunocompromised patients, this study sought to find out the current burden of HCMV among HIV infected patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A total of 93 HIV-infected patients enrolled in this study and their blood samples were analysed for the presence of HCMV IgG using ELISA techniques. Of the 93 HIV positive participants, 92(98.9%) tested positive for HCMV IgG antibodies while 1(1.1%) was negative. All the participants within the ages 9-20, 21-40 and 61-80 years were positive for HCMV IgG (100.0%) while those within ages 41-60 years had lesser seropositivity (96.1%). Males, singles, unemployed, civil servant, traders and artisans had the highest HCMV exposure (100.0%) compared to other categories. However, age, sex, marital status, educational background, occupation and religion were not statistically associated (p>0.05) with HCMV serostatus. The high prevalence of 98.9% of HCMV IgG showed that HIV patients were at high risk of HCMV coinfection. This study shows that human cytomegalovirus IgG is high among HIV infected patients in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Based on the high prevalence recorded in this study, there is need to routinely screen for HCMV coinfection among HIV-infected patients in order to prevent end organ disease.