High seroprevalence of bloodborne viruses among street-recruited injection drug users from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Clin Infect Dis. 2003 Dec 15:37 Suppl 5:S348-52. doi: 10.1086/377560.

Abstract

Injection drug use is the main mechanism of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission in Argentina (40% of reported AIDS cases in Argentina). This study was conducted among street-recruited injection drug users (IDUs) from Buenos Aires, with the aim of estimating seroprevalence and coinfection of HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human T-lymphotropic viruses (HTLVs). A total of 174 volunteers participated in this study; 137 were men (78.7% of volunteers). The average age of the participants was 30 years. Only 64 of participants (37%) had no viral infection, whereas 110 (63%) were infected with > or =1 viruses. Seroprevalences were 44.3% for HIV, 54.6% for HCV, 42.5% for HBV, 2.3% for HTLV-I, and 14.5% for HTLV-II. Among the 77 HIV-infected persons, only 6.5% (5 persons) were not coinfected with other viruses; 88.3% (68) were coinfected with HCV and 68.8% (53) were coinfected with HBV. We demonstrated the existence of multiple viral infections with a high rate of prevalence in IDUs in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Argentina / epidemiology
  • Female
  • HIV
  • HIV Infections / complications
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • HIV Seroprevalence
  • HTLV-II Infections / complications
  • HTLV-II Infections / epidemiology*
  • Hepacivirus
  • Hepatitis B / complications
  • Hepatitis B / epidemiology*
  • Hepatitis B virus
  • Hepatitis C / complications
  • Hepatitis C / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Needle Sharing
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Substance Abuse, Intravenous*