Screening for HBV, HCV, HIV and syphilis infections among bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis prisoners: An urgent action required

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 14; no. 8; p. e0221265
• Main Authors: Puga, Marco Antonio Moreira, Bandeira, Larissa Melo, Pompilio, Mauricio Antonio, Rezende, Grazielli Rocha de, Soares, Luana Silva, de Castro, Vivianne de Oliveira Langraf, Tanaka, Tayana Serpa Ortiz, Cesar, Gabriela Alves, de Oliveira, Sandra Maria do Valle Leone, Teles, Sheila Araújo, Yassuda, Renata Terumi Shiguematsu, Weis-Torres, Sabrina Moreira Dos Santos, Basílio, Sarlete Ferreira, Croda, Julio, Motta-Castro, Ana Rita Coimbra
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 22.08.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adult; AIDS; Biology and life sciences; Brazil - epidemiology; Coinfection; Comorbidity; Criminal statistics; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demographic aspects; Diagnosis; Distribution; Drugs; Epidemiology; Exposure; Forecasts and trends; Health risks; Health screening; Hepacivirus - isolation & purification; Hepatitis; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis B surface antigen; Hepatitis B virus; Hepatitis B virus - isolation & purification; Hepatitis B, Chronic - diagnosis; Hepatitis B, Chronic - epidemiology; Hepatitis B, Chronic - virology; Hepatitis C; Hepatitis C virus; Hepatitis C, Chronic - diagnosis; Hepatitis C, Chronic - epidemiology; Hepatitis C, Chronic - virology; Hepatotoxicity; HIV; HIV - isolation & purification; HIV infections; HIV Infections - diagnosis; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - virology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Imprisonment; Infections; Infectious diseases; Liver; Male; Mass Screening; Medical examination; Medicine and Health Sciences; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - isolation & purification; People and places; Population; Prevalence; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); Prisoners; Prisons; Public health; Public Health - ethics; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Sexually transmitted diseases; Side effects; Social Sciences; STD; Syphilis; Syphilis - diagnosis; Syphilis - epidemiology; Syphilis - microbiology; Systematic review; Treponema pallidum - isolation & purification; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - diagnosis; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - epidemiology; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - microbiology; Viral hepatitis; Viruses; Brazil; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221265

Viral hepatitis, syphilis, HIV, and tuberculosis infections in prisons have been identified globally as a public health problem. Tuberculosis (TB) and viral hepatitis co-infection may increase the risk of anti-tuberculosis treatment-induced hepatotoxicity, leading to the frequent cause of discontinuation of the first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs. Therefore, the aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the epidemiological features of HCV, HBV, syphilis and HIV infections among bacteriologically confirmed tuberculosis prisoners in Campo Grande (MS), Central Brazil. The participants who agreed to participate (n = 279) were interviewed and tested for the presence of active or current HCV, HBV, syphilis and HIV infections. The prevalence of HCV exposure was 4.7% (13/279; 95% CI 2.2-7.1). HCV RNA was detected in 84.6% (11/13) of anti-HCV positive samples. Out of 279 participants, 19 (6.8%; 95% CI 4.4-10.4) were HIV co-infected, 1.4% (4/279, 95% CI 0.5-3.8) had chronic hepatitis B virus (HBsAg positive) and 9.3% (26/279, 95% CI 6.4-13.4) had serological marker of exposure to hepatitis B virus (total anti-HBc positive). The prevalence of lifetime syphilis infection (anti-T. pallidum positive) was 10% (28/279, 95% CI 7.0-14.2) and active syphilis (VDRL ≥ 1/8 titre) was 5% (14/279, 95% CI 2.9-8.3). The prevalence of TB/HCV co-infection among prisoners with HIV (15.8%) was higher than among HIV-non-infected prisoners (3.8%; P<0.05). These results highlight the importance of hepatitis testing among prisoners with bacteriologically confirmed case of TB who can be more effectively and safely treated in order to reduce the side effects of hepatotoxic anti-TB drugs.