Novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) co-infection with HIV: clinical case series analysis in North Central Nigeria

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 has created a global public health emergency with significant mortality and morbidity for people living with HIV (PLWH). Preliminary data reveals persons with immune-compromised status are at risk of developing adverse clinical outcomes from SARS-CoV-2. We aimed to characterise clinical outcomes of HIV patients co-infected with SARS-CoV-2 infection in Nasarawa State, North Central Nigeria. We followed four (4) hospitalised HIV patients that tested positive to SARS-CoV-2 in Nasarawa State and characterised their laboratory findings and clinical outcomes. The consent of the cases was sought and they agreed that their clinical data be published. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid were performed using nasopharyngeal swabs (novel coronavirus PCR fluorescence diagnostic kit, BioGerm medical biotechnology) at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abuja, Nigeria. Our study reveals mild clinical outcome among HIV patients with SARS-CoV-2 co-infection. There is need for a syndemic framework to be used to conceptualise SARS-CoV-2 impact among HIV patients and an urgent need to strengthen healthcare programmes within Nigeria.

Keywords: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); HIV and COVID-19 co-infection; Nigeria; clinical characteristics; transmission; viral shedding.