Decription
basing on samples obtained from 600 prostitutes in during the HISIS study, correlates of protective immunity are evaluated. In a case-control-study, cellular immunity is examined using ELISPOT and intracellular cytokine staining (ICC) in three subgroups:
Women massively exposed to HIV during three years as prostitutes, who are HIV-negative;
Women infected with HIV once, whose immune response is preventing superinfection with another HIV strain;
Women whose immune response is insufficient to prevent infection, resulting in several infections with HIV.
Thus, correlates of protective immunity shall be identified. First results how certain HLA alleles (B5801, B8101, B0702) to induce a borader immunity in gag, which contributes to a long-term reduction in viral load by two log steps.
LMU Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine is participating in this activity through its immunologists L. Podola, PhD and C. Geldmacher, PhD, who are planning and analysing this study together with colleagues in the NIMR-MMRC immunology laboratory.
Project Coordinator: L. Maboko
