Respiratory Viral Infection and Hiv Viral Load and Cd4+ Cells Count of Hiv Infected Children Attending Selected Clinics in Southwest, Nigeria

Most often, respiratory viruses have been linked with opportunistic infections among HIV positive patients, owing to their immunocompromised state. Blood samples of 590 HIV positive children between the ages of 4 and 18 years attending selected health facilities in Southwest, Nigeria were serologically screened for their co-infection with some selected lower respiratory viruses. HIV was detected using rapid antibody test kit (combi) and further confirmed using Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique to detect the HIV-IgG and IgM concentration. The presence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza A virus (IV) and parainfluenza virus (PIV) in the HIV positive blood samples were analyzed and detected using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification. The HIV viral loads were determined using Cobas auto analyzer while the CD4 ⁺ T-cell lymphocyte count was done using a partec cytoflow counter. 56.94% of the HIV positive children were positive to either of the respiratory viruses, out of which 26.10%, 16.27% and 12.54% were positive for RSV, IV and PIV respectively. RSV showed a higher risk relationship with the HIV CD4 ⁺ count (38.31%) compared to the other respiratory viruses. The relationship between the HIV viral load and co-infection with the respiratory viruses in this study is linear, which further explains the role of viral reactivation in immunocompromised HIV patients.