Human immunodeficiency virus infection and human African trypanosomiasis: a case-control study in Côte d'Ivoire

To assess the association between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, a cross-sectional case-control study was conducted on 301 HAT patients recruited in the main foci of the country. For each HAT patient, 3 controls, matched for sex, age and residence, were selected. Data relating to socio-demographic factors and potential risk factors for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and HIV infections were obtained, and serum samples were collected for HIV-1 and HIV-2 tests. A positive test consisted of enzyme immunoassay reactive to HIV-1, HIV-2 or both and confirmed by a synthetic peptide test or Western blot. Data were analysed using conditional logistic regression with egret software. No statistically significant difference was found between the prevalence of HIV infection in HAT patients and controls (4.3% and 3.5% respectively; crude odds ratio (OR) 1.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65–2.50). In multivariate analysis, allowance for 5 covariates did not change the association between the 2 infections (adjusted OR 1.27, 95% CI 0.64–2.52). Although this study had limited statistical power, no significant association was found between HIV infection and T. b. gambiense infection in rural Côte d'Ivoire. Studies are needed to determine whether HIV infection influences the clinical course of HAT, a question not addressed in the present study.