• Immunological responses to hepatitis C and non-hepatitis antigens in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-HCV coinfected patients (WeOrA526)
  Authored by H. Valdez, D. Anthony, F. Farukhi, A. Patki, J. Salkowitz, P. Heeger, D. Peterson, R. Asaad, M. Lederman
• Seroprevalence correlates of HIV and HCV infection among injection drug users (IDUs) attending an outreach syringe exchange program (SEPs) in five Brazilian cities (WeOrA530)
  Authored by F. Proietti, W. Caiaffa, A.B. Carneiro-Proietti, L. Marques, M. Guimares, D. Doneda, A. Lopes (The Ajude-Brasil)

There were two interesting papers in this oral session. Caiaffa, et al. (WeOrA530) reported on seroprevalence of HCV and HIV among 287 intravenous drug users (IDUs) attending syringe exchange programs in five cities in Brazil in 1998. The IDUs were predominantly male (83%), young (median age 28), equally white and nonwhite, and with long durations of drug use (median ten years). The injection drug of choice was cocaine. 62% of these individuals were either HCV- or HIV-positive or both. Specifically only 9% were HIV+/HCV-, only 10% were HIV-/HCV+, 43% were co-infected. These results show the common concordance of HCV and HIV infections in the setting of injection drug use in Brazil as in the rest of the world.

Valdez, et al., Cleveland (WeOrA526) reported on the immunologic responses to HCV and non-HCV antigens in co-infected patients. They showed that HIV-related immunosuppression was correlated with higher HCV viral loads and reduced lymphoproliferative responses (as compared to the responses seen in HCV -- but not HIV co-infected -- individuals). This might explain the observation that HCV progresses more rapidly in co-infected individuals than in those with HCV alone.