Background Individuals living with HIV are susceptible to other infections due to poor or weakened immune system. Viral haemorrhagic fever caused by Lassa Virus (LASV) has been endemic in parts of West Africa. About four lineages have been discovered in Nigeria a country bordering Cameroon. The porosity of the borders and increased movement across West African countries put Cameroon at risk of LASV. Interestingly, there has not been any report of Lassa fever in Cameroon. Here we evaluated, the seroprevalence of LASV antibodies among HIV patients in Cameroon.

Methods Serum samples obtained between December 2021 and April 2022 from 330 HIV-positive consented patients were tested for LASV IgG and/or IgM antibodies specific for LASV nucleoprotein and/or prefusion envelope glycoproteins using ReLASV® Pan-Lassa IgG/IgM ELISA Test Kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Data were analysed using SPSS and GraphPad.

Results Analysis of these samples showed that IgG and IgM antibodies were detected in 2.4% (8/330) and 1.8% (6/330) samples respectively. All the IgM positive samples were also positive for IgG. Our data showed that both IgG and IgM antibodies do not depend (p>0.05) on age, gender and duration on antiretroviral therapy (ART) though the prevalence was high in age group <25 years, males, and those who had taken ART for <5years. The mean OD of both IgG (0.06 Vs 0.03) and IgM (0.88 Vs 0.04) were significantly higher (p< 0.05) between LAVS positive and negative cases.

Conclusion Our results are the first to detect LASV antibodies in Cameroon. With increase movement and porosity of the border, it is plausible that exposure to LASV is inevitable. This has direct implications for understanding the transmission risk, mitigation, and eventually the prevention and control of LASV in Cameroon. Our results indicate the urgent need to extend LASV surveillance in other part of Africa.