Seroprevalence of IgM antibodies against cytomegalovirus (CMV) in HIV patients: single center study

Abstract

Introduction: The presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals indicates an active infection or reactivation of the virus.

Methodology: This study investigated the seroprevalence of CMV IgM antibodies among HIV-positive individuals attending the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Nigeria.

Results: Fifty nine out of 92 participants who were tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were positive for CMV IgM, resulting in a prevalence rate of 64.1%. Analysis of sociodemographic variables revealed a statistically significant association between CMV IgM seropositivity, and both gender and residence of the participants. Clinical variables also indicated a significant association between CMV IgM seropositivity and the duration of HIV infection. Multivariate analysis showed that participants in the 18–29 years age group, those with a secondary education level, the unemployed, and those who had been infected with HIV for 1–3 years were most likely to test positive for CMV infection. Joint and muscle pain were the most commonly reported symptoms among participants.

Conclusions: The high seroprevalence of CMV IgM antibodies found in this study suggests that CMV infection is widespread in the study area. Therefore, it is essential to regularly screen HIV-positive individuals for CMV during routine antiretroviral therapy visits to enable early detection and improve treatment outcomes.