Hepatitis C virus infection among HIV-1 infected individuals from northern Mexico

Aims: The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, risk factors and HCV genotypes in 140 HIV-1 infected individuals from northern Mexico was determined. Methods: Hepatitis C infection was confirmed by the detection of anti-HCV antibodies and HCV-RNA in sera, and genotyping was performed by the InnoLiPA-HCV genotype assay. Results: Seventeen (12.1%) out of 140 HIV-infected individuals were found to be HCV-positive. Coinfected individuals were more likely to be male (87%). The most frequent genotype was 1a (41%), followed by 1b (29.4%), 2a/c (17.6%), 2b (5.9%) and 3 (5.9%). Serum transaminase concentrations (AST and ALT) were higher in coinfected patients. Among the risk factors for coinfection: sexual transmission was the most frequently observed (men who have sex with men (MSM); 64.7% and bisexual behavior; 64.7%) followed by intravenous drug users (IVDU) (53%). There was no association of the HCV genotypes with the age and risk factors for HIV-1 and HCV infection observed in the studied patients. Conclusion: The results suggest that the prevalence of HIV-1/HCV coinfection in Mexico is lower than in other American countries.