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The prevalence of antibodies to HIV‐1 and HIV‐2 in onchocerciasis‐endemic rural areas in southern Benin

This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of onchocerciasis in rural areas of southern Benin. Sera from 400 male and 420 female residents aged 5-70 years of the Zou and Mono provinces were collected and tested with ELISA Western blot for antibodies to HIV-1 and HIV-2. Individuals were randomly selected and their sera examined anonymously. A trend towards an association between onchocerciasis and HIV seropositivity was observed in all age groups older than 10 years. Antibodies to HIV were found in 7.4% of onchocerciasis patients as compared to 3.3% of people without onchocerciasis. 5.7% overall were seropositive by ELISA. However 96% of these positive sera were classified as indeterminate for HIV using the World Health Organization criteria and 4% were negative. Indeterminate Western blot profiles are frequently found in African populations. The results suggest an effect of Onchocerca volvulus infection on either false seropositivity for HIV or on HIV infection in humans. More research is needed to further understand the nature of the association.