Systematic Review of Prevalence of Histoplasma Antigenuria in Persons with HIV in Latin America and Africa

Abstract

Histoplasmosis is a fungal disease associated with substantial mortality rates among persons with advanced HIV disease. Our systematic review synthesized data on the global prevalence of Histoplasma­-caused antigenuria in persons with HIV. We searched PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Scopus databases on January 3, 2023, to identify cross-sectional and cohort studies evaluating Histoplasma antigenuria prevalence among adults with HIV infection. We calculated point estimates and 95% CIs to summarize prevalence. Of 1,294 studies screened, we included 15. We found Histoplasma antigenuria among 581/5,096 (11%; 95% CI 11%–12%) persons with HIV and 483/3,789 persons with advanced HIV disease (13%; 95% CI 12%–14%). Among persons with HIV and symptoms consistent with histoplasmosis, Histoplasma antigenuria prevalence was 14% (95% CI 13%–15%; 502/3,631 participants). We determined that persons with advanced HIV disease, inpatients, and symptomatic persons might benefit from a systematic approach to early detection of histoplasmosis using urine antigen testing.

Keywords

• histoplasmosis
• HIV/AIDS and other retroviruses
• advanced HIV disease
• sexually transmitted infections
• fungi
• fungal infections