Evaluation of Hematological, Biochemical Profiles and Molecular Detection of Envelope Gene (gp-41) in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among Newly Diagnosed Patients
Asfa Anjum,
Abaid ur Rehman,
Hina Siddique,
Ali A. Rabaan,
Saad Alhumaid,
Mohammed Garout,
Souad A. Almuthree,
Muhammad A. Halwani,
Safaa A. Turkistani,
Haitham Qutob,
Hawra Albayat,
Mohammed Aljeldah,
Basim R. Al Shammari,
Fatimah S. Alshahrani,
Ali S. Alghamdi,
Sami M. Alduwaihi,
Adil A. Alibraheem,
Shah Zeb,
Basit Zeshan
Affiliations
Asfa Anjum
Department of Medical Education, University of Lahore, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
Abaid ur Rehman
Department of Medical Education, Sheikh Zayed Medical College, Rahim Yar Khan 06426, Pakistan
Hina Siddique
Department of Medical Education, Fatima Jinnah Medical University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Ali A. Rabaan
Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22610, Pakistan
Saad Alhumaid
Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Al-Ahsa Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Garout
Department of Community Medicine and Health Care for Pilgrims, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia
Souad A. Almuthree
Department of Infectious Disease, King Abdullah Medical City, Makkah 43442, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad A. Halwani
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Al Baha University, Al Baha 4781, Saudi Arabia
Safaa A. Turkistani
Fakeeh College for Medical Science, Jeddah 21134, Saudi Arabia
Haitham Qutob
Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Rabigh 25732, Saudi Arabia
Hawra Albayat
Infectious Disease Department, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh 7790, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Aljeldah
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, University of Hafr Al Batin, Hafr Al Batin 39831, Saudi Arabia
Basim R. Al Shammari
Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia
Fatimah S. Alshahrani
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, King Saud University and King Saud University Medical City, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Ali S. Alghamdi
Diagnostic Laboratory, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh 12477, Saudi Arabia
Sami M. Alduwaihi
Diagnostic Laboratory, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh 12477, Saudi Arabia
Adil A. Alibraheem
ENT Department, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh 12477, Saudi Arabia
Shah Zeb
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biomedical and Health Science, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22610, Pakistan
Basit Zeshan
Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a highly morphic, retrovirus that rapidly evolves through mutation as well as recombination. Because of the immunocompromised status in HIV patients, there is often a higher chance of acquiring different secondary infections followed by liver cirrhosis, hepatitis B & C, and HIV-associated nephropathy. The current study was conducted to see the prevalence of secondary infections, hematological and biochemical markers for liver and renal associated diseases, and to detect the envelope gene (GP41) in newly diagnosed HIV patients. A total of 37 samples were collected from HIV-positive patients registered in different hospital settings under the National AIDS control program. The collected samples were processed for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hematological analysis, and biochemical analysis. To identify the envelope gene in newly diagnosed HIV patients, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using four gene-specific primers. The HIV infections were seen more in male as compared to females. A significant decrease in complete blood count was observed in HIV patients when compared to healthy individuals. There was a significant increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), urea, and creatinine observed in HIV patients. No significant difference was observed in alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin, and albumin levels when compared to healthy control. Anemia was observed in 59.4% of HIV patients. A total of three (8.1%) patients were found to be co-infected with hepatitis B and one (2.7 %) was co-infected with hepatitis C. Out of these 37 tested samples, a total of four showed the successful amplification of the envelope gene. This study provides platform for the health care facilitators to regularly monitor the signs, symptoms and clinical biomarkers of HIV-associated infections to prevent toxicity at an early stage to improve the quality of life (QoL) and minimize the mortality rate in HIV patients. Envelope gene mutating frequently results in drug resistance, and thus future research on polymorphism analysis will reveal points of substitutions to improve drug designing.
