Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Jun 17;16(6):971.
doi: 10.3390/v16060971.

The Impact of Drugs and Substance Abuse on Viral Pathogenesis-A South African Perspective

Lufuno Ratshisusu  1 , Omphile E Simani  1 , Jason T Blackard  1   2 , Selokela G Selabe  1   3
Affiliations
Review

The Impact of Drugs and Substance Abuse on Viral Pathogenesis-A South African Perspective

Lufuno Ratshisusu et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Illicit drug and alcohol abuse have significant negative consequences for individuals who inject drugs/use drugs (PWID/UDs), including decreased immune system function and increased viral pathogenesis. PWID/UDs are at high risk of contracting or transmitting viral illnesses such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). In South Africa, a dangerous drug-taking method known as "Bluetoothing" has emerged among nyaope users, whereby the users of this drug, after injecting, withdraw blood from their veins and then reinject it into another user. Hence, the transmission of blood-borne viruses (BBVs) is exacerbated by this "Bluetooth" practice among nyaope users. Moreover, several substances of abuse promote HIV, HBV, and HCV replication. With a specific focus on the nyaope drug, viral replication, and transmission, we address the important influence of abused addictive substances and polysubstance use in this review.

Keywords: HBV; HCV; HIV; South Africa; illicit drug; immune system.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Degenhardt L., Hall W. Extent of illicit drug use and dependence, and their contribution to the global burden of disease. Lancet. 2012;379:55–70. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61138-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pourallahvirdi M., Rahmani F., Ranjbar F., Bakhtavar H.E., Ettehadi A. Major causes of drug abuse from the viewpoint of addicted persons referred to addiction treatment centers of Tabriz City, Iran. Arch. Neurosci. 2016;3:e37653. doi: 10.5812/archneurosci.37653. - DOI
    1. Mokwena K.E., Setshego N.J. Substance abuse among high school learners in a rural education district in the Free State province, South Africa. S. Afr. Fam. Pract. 2021;63:e1–e6. doi: 10.4102/safp.v63i1.5302. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Larney S., Tran L.T., Leung J., Santo T., Santomauro D., Hickman M., Peacock A., Stockings E., Degenhardt L. All-cause and cause-specific mortality among people using extramedical opioids: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. 2020;77:493–502. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.4170. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mathers B.M., Degenhardt L., Bucello C., Lemon J., Wiessing L., Hickman M. Mortality among people who inject drugs: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Bull. World Health Organ. 2013;91:102–123. doi: 10.2471/BLT.12.108282. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms