Tissue-Specific DNA Methylation Changes in CD8 T Cells During Chronic Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection of Infant Rhesus Macaques.

Robust CD8 T cell responses are critical for the control of HIV infection in both adults and children. Our understanding of the mechanisms driving these responses is based largely on studies of cells circulating in peripheral blood in adults, but the regulation of CD8 T cell responses in tissue sites is poorly understood, particularly in pediatric infections. DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that regulates gene transcription.

Comparison of Chlamydia trachomatis Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Infection Among Women by Gender/Sex of Sex Partner, United States, 2013-2016.

Objectives: Women who report sex with women are thought to have lower risk for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection than women who report sex with men only (WSM-only), but comparisons of lifetime burden are limited.

Methods: Among 1,418 sexually-experienced women aged 18-39 years participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2016), we estimated weighted CT seroprevalence and Wald-based 95% confidence intervals (CI) in women who reported ever having sex with a woman (all reported having sex with men also) (WSWM) compared to WSM-only. We defined seropositivity as detection of Pgp3 antibodies and used stratified Poisson regression with robust standard errors to estimate prevalence ratios.

Nonhuman primate models of pediatric viral diseases.

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death in infants and children under 5 years of age. exposure to viruses can lead to spontaneous abortion, preterm birth, congenital abnormalities or other developmental defects, often resulting in lifelong health sequalae. The underlying biological mechanisms are difficult to study in humans due to ethical concerns and limited sample access.

Precision adjuvants for pediatric vaccines.

Elucidating optimal vaccine adjuvants for harnessing age-specific immune pathways to enhance magnitude, breadth, and durability of immunogenicity remains a key gap area in pediatric vaccine design. A better understanding of age-specific adjuvants will inform precision discovery and development of safe and effective vaccines for protecting children from preventable infectious diseases.