On World AIDS Day, celebrated on December 1st, the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz) disseminates research results that shed light on the epidemiology of co-infections between HIV and other pathogens of public health importance. The data reveal the need for early identification and treatment of silent diseases, such as hepatitis B, and alert to the emergence of overlapping between AIDS and diseases of poverty, such as leprosy, leishmaniasis and hepatitis A.

The commitment of IOC in developing research in the area dates back to the beginning of the epidemic, when, in 1987, researchers from the Institute isolated HIV for the first time in Brazil and Latin America (read special about 20 years of virus isolation). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 33 million people are living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.

Study points to prevalence of occult hepatitis B in seropositive patients
Co-infection can generate resistance to drugs used in the treatment of AIDS. The importance of performing molecular diagnostic tests for detection was highlighted by the research

Change in the epidemiological profile of hepatitis A increases the risk of co-infection with HIV
A study points to a reduction in the prevalence of antibodies to hepatitis A among patients with AIDS. Approximation of the epidemiological profile of the two diseases alerts to the risk of co-infection, which can cause serious complications.

Study investigates AIDS and leprosy co-infection
A study followed patients at the Ambulatório Souza Araújo for 33 months, a national reference of the Ministry of Health for care for leprosy patients. Paradoxical immune reactions intrigue scientists.

Co-infection by HIV and leishmaniasis emerges as a public health challenge
The association is recent and presents a growing number of cases in Brazil and in the world. The epidemiological impact is so great that the WHO considers introducing visceral leishmaniasis as an AIDS indicator disease.