subgroup dominant microbiomes are associated with divergent cervicovaginal immune responses in a longitudinal cohort of Kenyan women.

Most cervicovaginal microbiome-immunology studies to date have relied on 16S rDNA microbial profiling which does not resolve the molecular subgroups of , believed to be central to the pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and subsequent risk of HIV acquisition. Here we used the 60 universal target which in addition to other microbial taxa, resolves four subgroups, for cervicovaginal microbial profiling in a longitudinal cohort of Kenyan women to examine associations with cellular and soluble markers of inflammation and HIV susceptibility. Participants (N = 41) were sampled, contributing 362 samples for microbiome analysis.

Comparative analysis of DNA extraction and PCR product purification methods for cervicovaginal microbiome analysis using cpn60 microbial profiling.

Background: The microbiota of the lower female genital tract plays an important role in women's health. Microbial profiling using the chaperonin60 (cpn60) universal target (UT) improves resolution of vaginal species associated with negative health outcomes compared to the more commonly used 16S ribosomal DNA target. However, the choice of DNA extraction and PCR product purification methods may bias sequencing-based microbial studies and should be optimized for the sample type and molecular target used.

Prospective Study Demonstrates Utility of EP-QuIC in Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Diagnoses.

Prospectively acquired Canadian cerebrospinal fluid samples were used to assess the performance characteristics of three ante-mortem tests commonly used to support diagnoses of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The utility of the end-point quaking-induced conversion assay as a test for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease diagnoses was compared to that of immunoassays designed to detect increased amounts of the surrogate markers 14-3-3γ and hTau. The positive predictive values of the end-point quaking-induced conversion, 14-3-3γ, and hTau tests conducted at the Prion Diseases Section of the Public Health Agency of Canada were 96%, 68%, and 66%, respectively.

Mauritian cynomolgus macaques with M3M4 MHC genotype control SIVmac251 infection.

Background: Understanding natural HIV control may lead to new preventative or therapeutic strategies. Several protective major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genotypes were found in humans and rhesus macaques. Here, we report a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) controller MHC genotype in Mauritian cynomolgus macaques (MCMs).

The bioactivity and fractionation of peptide hydrolysates in cultures of CHO cells.

Peptide hydrolysate supplements in mammalian cell cultures provide enhanced growth and productivity. The objective of this study was to compare the bioactivity of ten different commercially available hydrolysates from plant, microbial, and animal sources. The peptide hydrolysates were tested as supplements to cultures of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that produce human beta interferon (β-IFN).

Epitope mapping of HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses by multiple immunological readouts reveals distinct specificities defined by function.

The limited success of HIV vaccine candidates to date highlights our need to better characterize protective cell-mediated immunity (CMI). While HIV-specific CD8(+) T cell responses have been defined largely by measuring gamma interferon (IFN-γ), these responses are not always protective, and it is unclear whether the same epitopes would predominate if other functional parameters were examined. Here, we assessed the epitope specificity of HIV-specific CD8(+) T cell responses by multiparametric flow cytometry, measuring five CD8(+) T cell functions (IFN-γ, macrophage inflammatory protein 1β [MIP-1β], tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], interleukin-2 [IL-2], and proliferative capacity) in 24 chronically HIV-infected individuals.

Clade-specific evolution mediated by HLA-B*57/5801 in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 clade A1 p24.

HLA-B*57-mediated selection pressure leads to a typical escape pathway in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) CD8 epitopes such as TW10. Whether this T242N pathway is shared by all clades remains unknown. We therefore assessed the nature of HLA-B*57 selection in a large, observational Kenyan cohort where clades A1 and D predominate.