Acta Scientific MICROBIOLOGY (ISSN: 2581-3226) Volume 5 Issue 3 March 2022 Co-infectivity of HIV and Atypical Mycobacteria in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State Uju Marie-Esther Dibua 1 , Arinze Aru 1 , Stephen Chiiioke Emencheta 2 *, Chukwuemeka Ezeh 1 and Chibuzor Nwadibe Eze 1 1 Department of Microbiology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria *Corresponding Author: Stephen Chiiioke Emencheta, Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Research Article Received: February 20, 2022 Published: February 25, 2022 © All rights are reserved by Stephen Chiiioke Emencheta., et al. Abstract Keywords: Tuberculosis; Atypical Mycobacteria; Acid Fast Bacilli; Co-Infection; HIV; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Abbreviations Background: The incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in the world is increasing. Due to the increasing level of immunocompromised individuals resulting from diseases like HIV/AIDS, other nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are beginning to thrive, causing tu- berculous infections. However, information on the contribution of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) to mycobacterial infections in Africa is scarce due to several factors. Thus, this study is on the co-infectivity of HIV and Atypical Mycobacteria in Nsukka L.G.A. Materials and Methods: Two hundred cases (100 HIV-negative and 100 HIV-positive patients) (46.5% males and 53.5% females) were identified. The age ranged between 15 and 71 with a mean age of 37.5 years. HIV antibodies were screened using two test kits: the Determine (preliminary test) and the Uni-Gold (consistency test). CD4+ count was determined using cytometry. Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) were detected using sputum smear microscopy. AFB positive samples were subjected to nested PCR for species identification. T-test was employed to check for statistical significance between the mean prevalence in test and control groups and CD4 count of HIV single infection and co-infection with TB. Correlation analysis was used to check for the relationship between the demographic characteristics and the disease distribution. Results: A preponderance of HIV infection was observed among the 21-50 age group (72.5%) with an overall HIV prevalence of 19.4%. The highest AFB prevalence of 26.6% was observed among patients aged 21-30 years, with an overall prevalence of 24%. About 79.1% of TB infections occurred at CD4 count less than 400 cells/µl. Nested PCR showed 97(78.9%) M. tuberculosis, 14(11.4%) M. bovis, and 10(8.1%) NTM. The NTM identified was M. avium complex. The prevalence rate of TB/HIV co-infection was 24(24%), of which 14(53.8%) were M. tuberculosis, 5(20.8%) were M. bovis, and 3(12.5%) were NTM. The highest NTM prevalence of 66.7% was observed among patients aged 21-30 years in the HIV positive group while the highest prevalence of 42.8% was observed among 41-50 years in the HIV negative group. TB co-infection was significantly associated with CD4+ cell count (P < 0.05). Respectively, rural settlers (RR = 1.40, P = 0.002) and those with lower education (RR = 3.17, P = 0.01) were at higher risk of TB co-infection with HIV. Conclusion: The study underscores the role of nontuberculous AFB in pulmonary tuberculosis especially in HIV patients, and is sug- gestive of the implication of therapies without discrimination between TB and NTM. Molecular screening assays with rapid detection of NTM infections should be a priority for strengthening the public health response. AFB: Acid-fast Bacilli; AIDS: Acquired immunodeficiency Syn- drome; CD: Cluster of Differentiation; DOTS: Directly Observed Treatment Short-course; HAART: Highly active antiretroviral Treatment; HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus; MAC: Mycobac- terium avium complex; MOTT: mycobacteria other than tubercle bacilli; MTB: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; NTM: Nontuberculous mycobacteria; PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction; PTB: Pulmonary Tuberculosis; TB: Tuberculosis; WHO: World Health Organization Citation: Stephen Chiiioke Emencheta., et al. “Co-infectivity of HIV and Atypical Mycobacteria in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State”. Acta Scientific Microbiology 5.3 (2022): 82-97.