Publications by authors named "Paul Kato Kitandwe"
Background: A significant overlap exists in the burden of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs) and the HIV epidemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over 60% of HIV infections occur in women, mostly through the cervical mucosa. Absorption and systemic circulation of alcohol induces global physiological and immune effects, including at the genital mucosa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchistosomiasis is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms of the Schistosoma spp., and is increasingly recognized to alter the immune system, and the potential to respond to vaccines. The impact of endemic infections on protective immunity is critical to inform vaccination strategies globally.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The impact of endemic infections on protective immunity is critical to inform vaccination strategies. In this study, we assessed the influence of infection on host responses in a Ugandan fishing cohort given a Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine. Concentrations of schistosome-specific circulating anodic antigen (CAA) pre-vaccination showed a significant bimodal distribution associated with HepB titers, which were lower in individuals with high CAA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral zoonosis that causes high fetal and neonatal mortality in ruminants and a mild to fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans. There are no licensed RVF vaccines for human use while for livestock, commercially available vaccines are all either live attenuated or inactivated and have undesirable characteristics. The live attenuated RVF vaccines are associated with teratogenicity and residual virulence in ruminants while the inactivated ones require multiple immunisations to induce and maintain protective immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Hepatitis B is a serious potentially fatal hepatocellular disease caused by the hepatitis B virus. In the fishing communities of Lake Victoria Uganda, the hepatitis B virus infection burden is largely unknown. This study assessed the prevalence and incidence of hepatitis B in these communities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: fishing communities in Uganda are key populations for HIV, with persistently higher prevalence and incidence than the general population.
Methods: between March and August 2014, a cross sectional survey was conducted in 10 fishing communities of Lake Victoria in Uganda. Data was collected on socio-behavioural characteristics using interviewer administered questionnaires and venous blood collected for HIV testing.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates why the inner foreskin is more susceptible to HIV infection, focusing on the types of immune cells and cytokines present.
- Researchers analyzed foreskin tissue from 42 HIV-uninfected Ugandan men during circumcision, comparing CD4 T cell characteristics and cytokine levels between the inner and outer foreskin.
- Results showed that although outer foreskin cells had a higher rate of HIV entry, the inner foreskin contained more immune cells and inflammatory cytokines, suggesting it is a more favorable site for HIV acquisition.
Field Performance of PIMA Point-of-Care Machine for CD4 Enumeration Under a Mobile HIV Counseling and Testing Program in Remote Fishing Communities of Lake Victoria, Uganda.
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses
April 2019
Uganda is among the most HIV/AIDS-afflicted countries, and many HIV-infected persons live in remote areas with poor access to health care. The success of HIV care programs relies in part on patient monitoring using CD4 T cell counts. We conducted an evaluation of the point-of-care PIMA test using BD FACSCount as a gold standard.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The World Health Organization recommends that countries conduct two phase evaluations of HIV rapid tests (RTs) in order to come up with the best algorithms. In this report, we present the first ever such evaluation in Uganda, involving both blood and oral based RTs. The role of weak positive (WP) bands on the accuracy of the individual RT and on the algorithms was also investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Fishing communities around Lake Victoria are at high risk for HIV infection, with a study analyzing data from 283 HIV-positive individuals to identify transmission factors and networks within these communities.
- The research found that 24% of participants belonged to 34 distinct HIV transmission clusters, primarily occurring within households and communities, highlighting significant local transmission dynamics.
- Younger individuals and those newly residing in these communities were more likely to be part of recent transmission clusters, indicating that mobility and community integration play critical roles in the spread of HIV in these populations.
Background: Although the association between alcohol consumption and HIV risk is well documented, few studies have examined the magnitude of new HIV infections that could be prevented by controlling alcohol use. We report the population attributable fraction (PAF) of incident HIV infections due to alcohol consumption among the HIV high-risk population of fishing communities along Lake Victoria, Uganda.
Methods: In a community-based cohort study, 1607 HIV sero-negative participants aged 18-49 years were enrolled from eight fishing communities along Lake Victoria, Uganda.
Background: High HIV-1 incidence rates were reported among persons in fisherfolk communities (FFC) in Uganda who were selected for high risk behaviour. We assessed the incidence of HIV-1 and associated risk factors in a general population FFC to determine population-wide HIV rates.
Methods: A community-based cohort study was conducted among a random sample of 2191 participants aged 18-49 years.