Publications by authors named "Peter Muthoga"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how immune responses, specifically IgA and IgG antibodies, interact with bacteria in the female genital tract and their potential role in inflammation and bacterial colonization.
- Researchers analyzed cervicovaginal secretions from 200 HIV-uninfected women in Kenya and found that these antibodies frequently bind to specific vaginal bacteria, such as Gardnerella vaginalis and Lactobacillus species.
- Surprisingly, the presence of these microbe-binding antibodies was not linked to the abundance of the corresponding bacteria, suggesting they might help control inflammation rather than regulate immune responses like they do in the gut.
Violence, alcohol use, substance use and poor mental health have been linked with increased HIV acquisition risk, and genital inflammation enhances HIV susceptibility. We examined whether past 6 month experience of these exposures was associated with increased genital inflammation, thereby providing a biological link between these exposures and HIV acquisition risk. The Maisha Fiti study was a longitudinal mixed-methods study of female sex workers in Nairobi, Kenya.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh HIV prevalence among female sex workers (FSWs) is heavily influenced by structural determinants (e.g. criminalisation of sex work; violence) and significant life events (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe examined violence experiences among Female Sex Workers (FSWs) in Nairobi, Kenya, and how these relate to HIV risk using a life course perspective. Baseline behavioural-biological surveys were conducted with 1003 FSWs June-December 2019. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations of life course factors with reported experience of physical or sexual violence in the past 6 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFConducting Violence and Mental Health Research with Female Sex Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ethical Considerations, Challenges, and Lessons Learned from the Maisha Fiti Study in Nairobi, Kenya.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
May 2023
Conducting violence and mental health research during the COVID-19 pandemic with vulnerable groups such as female sex workers (FSWs) required care to ensure that participants and the research team were not harmed. Potential risks and harm avoidance needed to be considered as well as ensuring data reliability. In March 2020, COVID-19 restrictions were imposed in Kenya during follow-up data collection for the Maisha Fiti study ( = 1003); hence data collection was paused.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- HPV infection is linked to anal cancer and is more common among gay, bisexual, and men having sex with men (gbMSM), particularly those also living with HIV.
- A study of 115 gbMSM in Nairobi found that 51.3% had HPV, with a much higher prevalence (84.3%) in those with HIV, along with significant presence of high-risk HPV types.
- The results suggest that the 9-valent Gardasil vaccine could prevent 61% of the HPV types identified, highlighting the necessity for targeted vaccination campaigns for gbMSM living with HIV in Kenya.
Harmful Alcohol and Drug Use Is Associated with Syndemic Risk Factors among Female Sex Workers in Nairobi, Kenya.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
June 2022
Background: Female Sex Workers (FSWs) are at high risk of harmful alcohol and other drug use. We use quantitative data to describe the prevalence of alcohol and other drug use and identify associated occupational and socio-economic risk factors, and aim to elucidate patterns of alcohol and drug use through information drawn from qualitative data. Methods: Maisha Fiti was a mixed-method longitudinal study conducted in 2019 among a random sample of FSWs in Nairobi, Kenya.
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