Liver function tests of HIV/AIDS patients at the nylon district hospital, Douala, Cameroon

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) which substantially reduces morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositive patients has been associated with hepatotoxicity. This study was aimed at investigating the effects of HIV infection and ART on liver function amongst HIV seropositive patients in Douala, Cameroon.Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted from March to August, 2012 at the Nylon District Hospital, Douala. Demographic data were collected using a structured questionnaire.  Serum alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) activities were determined using colorimetric techniques.Results: The mean age of the study participants was 37.9 ± 6.02 years. A majority of the study participants (68.0%) were females. The mean CD4+ T lymphocyte cell count of HIV/AIDS patients on ART was significantly higher than the ART- naïve patients (p<0.05). The mean serum AST and ALT activities of ART-naïve patients were significantly higher than the control subjects (p<0.05). Similarly, the mean serum transaminases and GGT activities of HIV/AIDS patients on ART were significantly higher than the control subjects (p<0.05). The mean serum ALP and GGT activities of HIV/AIDS patients receiving ART were significantly higher than the ART- naïve patients (p<0.05).Conclusions: The present study provides evidence to suggest that both infection with HIV and treatment with ART are associated with liver injury.

Respiratory Tract Aspergillosis in the Sputum of Patients Suspected of Tuberculosis in Fako Division-Cameroon

Abstract Respiratory tract aspergillosis refers to fungi infections of the respiratory tract caused by Aspergillus species. Respiratory tract aspergillosis has clinical and radiological characteristics which are very similar to tuberculosis thereby making the disease easily misdiagnosed and mistreated as tuberculosis. This prompted us to investigate the prevalence of respiratory tract Aspergillus sp. in the sputum of patients suspected of pulmonary tuberculosis and to study the anti-fungal susceptibility of the isolated Aspergillus strains. Two hundred sputa samples were studied for Aspergillus sp. and M. tuberculosis. Direct microscopy and fungal culture was done on two sets of Sabouraud Dextrose agar. Analysis for Acid-Fast Bacilli (AFB) was done by the Auramine-phenol fluorochrome technique. Aspergillus sp were isolated from 30(15%) patients; A. fumigatus was isolated in 10 (5%) patients while A. niger, A. flavus, and A. terreus were isolated from 9 (4.5%), 6 (3%) and 5 (2.5%) patients respectively. M. tuberculosis was found in 27(13.5%) and a co-infection of 9(4.5%) was observed.Using the broth micro dilution technique, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for Aspergillus sp for nystatin, itraconazole and amphotericin B ranged between 0.12-&gt;16 μg/ml, 0.06-&gt;16 μg/ml and 0.12-0.5 μg/ml, respectively. All the Aspergillus terreus strains were consistently sensitive to itraconazole (MIC &gt;16 μg/ml)