Search Abstracts

Background HIV infection is associated with systemic immune activation. We longitudinally evaluated levels of circulation inflammatory biomarkers in youth with perinatal HIV (PHIV) and those perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHEU). Methods In a longitudinal sub-study of cardiac status among youth in the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study, we measured 8 inflammatory biomarkers (Interleukin [IL]-1b, IL-6, IL-8,…

Background Negative HIV serology in children treated early is thought to result from low exposure of the immune system to antigenic stimulation provided by HIV replication. This serological profile might be used to identify pediatric patients eligible for HIV cure strategies. We, thus, aimed to characterize parameters associated with negative HIV serology in children who…

Background Latency reversing agents (LRAs) such as TLR agonists and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors reactivate HIV-1 from latency in adults. We examined the immune effects of the TLR7 agonist GS-9620, alone and in combination with the HDAC inhibitor SAHA, in ex-vivo studies of adolescents with perinatal HIV-1 (AdLWPH), aiming to inform latency reversal strategies for…

Background Despite ongoing efforts to address racial disparities in HIV incidence, the Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino populations continue to be disproportionately affected by new HIV diagnoses. The current study aimed to explore the temporal trend of racial disparities in HIV incidence at the county level across the United States from 2008 to 2021, and to…

Background In sub-Saharan Africa, clinical outcomes among adolescents with HIV (AWH) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) remain sub-optimal. Differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for ART may facilitate better outcomes, but evidence on their effectiveness among AWH is lacking. We evaluated DSD uptake and outcomes among AWH living in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, following the introduction of…

Background Children with HIV exposure (CHEU) who do not experience HIV infection are at increased risk of growth faltering compared to children unexposed to HIV (CHU). Decreased abundance of Bifidobacterium has been associated with growth faltering in CHEU. We examined the gut microbiota of CHEU versus CHU to determine if specific microbes may influence growth…

Background We modelled patterns of virological response to Dolutagravir (DTG)-based ART in a cohort of children and adolescents living with HIV in West Africa. Methods All CALHIV aged 0 to 19 years initiating DTG-based ART between 2019-2023 and enrolled in the West African pediatric International epidemiological Database for Evaluating AIDS (IeDEA pWADA) were included and followed…

Background Despite successful antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV (PLHIV) are at risk of suboptimal vaccine response, exposing this vulnerable population to common vaccine-preventable diseases.  Methods This cross-sectional observational study evaluated humoral responses to vaccination in a cohort of PLHIV with vertically acquired infection. Seroprotection rates for diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, and…

Background Although most patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 recover, 10-20% can develop long-term persistent symptoms after the acute infection, a condition known as long COVID or Post-Acute Sequalae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). In this study we aim to compare autoantibodies, cytokines and  neuronal and vascular damage biomarkers in plasma from  children and young people (CYP) with and…

Background Globally, >1.4 million children are living with HIV. Life-long ART adherence predisposes children to drug-associated complications, necessitating development of adjunctive therapies that can achieve drug-free viral suppression. Our group recently demonstrated development of VRC01-like broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) precursor responses in pediatric rhesus macaques (RMs) upon immunization with a germline-targeting native-like HIV SOSIP trimer.…