Co-infection by human immuno deficiency virus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus in injecting drug users.

Injecting drug users (IDUs) are at risk of parenterally transmitted diseases such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. The present study was undertaken to find out the prevalence of HIV infection, HBV infection and HCV infection among IDUs of a deaddiction centre. Serum samples from 250, injecting drug users (IDUs) from a de-addiction centre were screened for HBsAg using immunochromatography, anti HCV antibody by 3rd generation ELISA test and anti HIV antibody by ELISA test and immunochromatographic rapid test during the period August to October 2002.

Cryptosporidiosis in HIV infection.

Preserved faecal specimens (10 per cent Buffer formalin), from 150 HIV infected persons having symptomatic diarrhoea and 50 non-diarrhoeal apparently healthy people aged between 15-30 years were examined to detect the presence of cryptosporidium infection. 70 diarrhoeal patients (46.6 per cent) were found to excrete this pathogen.