SARS-CoV-2 serologic surveillance among people living with HIV in Nigeria, April 2022 to January 2023.
Helen M Chun, Sophia Osawe, Samuel Adams-Dabban, Jennifer Favaloro, Nnaemeka C Iriemenam, Emilio Dirlikov, Diana Martin, Kyle Milligan, Andrew Abutu, Olumide Okunoye, Mary Okoli, Olusola Akanbi, Oluwaseun Akinmulero, Rita Okonkwo, Oyewole Oyedele, Stacie Greby, Alash'le Abimiku, McPaul I J Okoye, Ray W Shiraishi, Nigeria SARS-CoV-2 Serosurvey Among PLHIV Working Group
Author Information
Helen M Chun: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Electronic address: vgi2@cdc.gov.
Sophia Osawe: Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Samuel Adams-Dabban: Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Jennifer Favaloro: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Nnaemeka C Iriemenam: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Emilio Dirlikov: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mozambique, Maputo, Mozambique.
Diana Martin: Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Kyle Milligan: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Peraton Inc., Herndon, Virginia, USA.
Andrew Abutu: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Olumide Okunoye: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Mary Okoli: Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Olusola Akanbi: Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Oluwaseun Akinmulero: Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Rita Okonkwo: Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Oyewole Oyedele: Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Stacie Greby: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Alash'le Abimiku: Institute of Human Virology, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
McPaul I J Okoye: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
Ray W Shiraishi: Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis, Global Health Center, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
OBJECTIVES: Evidence indicates that people living with HIV (PLHIV) are more impacted by COVID-19. The burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection among PLHIV is unknown in Nigeria. METHODS: We conducted repeated cross-sectional SARS-CoV-2 serosurveys in 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria among PLHIV who had an HIV viral load (VL) test during April 2022 to January 2023. Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies was assessed using a multiplex bead assay to measure IgG to spike (S), receptor binding domain (RBD), and nucleocapsid (N) proteins to identify potential infection and/or vaccination status. RESULTS: Between April 2022 and January 2023, 47,614 remnant VL samples were included and tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, defined as IgG antibodies to spike and RBD591 [S+] and nucleocapsid [N+], (S+N+), ranged between 21.1% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 11.4-31.8) in Ekiti State in January 2023 to 71.4% (95% CI 71.9-81.9) in Gombe State in November 2022, with overall steady trends within and between states over time, across age and sex. CONCLUSION: High rates of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among PLHIV in Nigeria were observed. This underscores the need to understand the association between HIV and SARS-CoV-2 to inform strategies to reduce the threat posed by COVID-19.
