Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 among people living with HIV in Mbeya, Tanzania

Abstract Background Clinical manifestations of HSV-1 infection is quite common in patients with HIV/AIDS. In Tanzania, nearly five percent of individuals aged 15 to 49 years are living with HIV, with the highest prevalence observed in the southern highland region. Studies are now reporting a growing HIV epidemic due to genital HSV-1. Despite such evidence, the prevalence of HSV-1 infection in HIV positive and negative individuals in the general Tanzanian population is mostly unknown. The objective of this study was to describe the prevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 infections among HIV positive and negative individuals in the Mbeya region, the third most affected region with HIV in Tanzania. Methods We conducted a study in the Mbeya region in the archived blood sera of participants from the recently completed EU funded EMINI project. A specially designed questionnaire was used to isolate the social and demographic characteristics of the study participants in the database. We tested archived participants’ sera for Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 using Virotech HSV-1 (gG1) ELISA (Enzygnost, Behring, Germany). Univariate and multivariate Poisson regression models were used to identify factors associated with HSV-1. Results A total of 640 adults were randomly recruited after stratification by HIV status, age, and sex. The overall seroprevalence of HSV-1 in the study population was 92.1%. The extrapolated prevalence estimate of Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 in the general population was 95.0% (96.0% in males versus 94.0% in females). Men and females were equally affected by HSV-1. HSV-1 was less prevalent in HIV positive individuals and was more common in individuals with elevated blood pressure. Conclusion People living with HIV were less likely to be HSV-1 positive. Further studies can evaluate whether the Herpes Simplex Virus type-1 can reduce the incidence of HIV infection.