Epidemiology Research Papers/Topics

Standardization and validation of a cytometric bead assay to assess antibodies to multiple Plasmodium falciparum recombinant antigens

Abstract/Overview Background Multiplex cytometric bead assay (CBA) have a number of advantages over ELISA for antibody testing, but little information is available on standardization and validation of antibody CBA to multiple Plasmodium falciparum antigens. The present study was set to determine optimal parameters for multiplex testing of antibodies to P. falciparum antigens, and to compare results of multiplex CBA to ELISA. Methods Antibodies to ten recombinant P. falciparum antigens wer...

Endothelial activation biomarkers increase after hiv-1 acquisition: plasma vcam-1 predicts disease progression

Abstract/Overview Objective—We aimed to determine whether endothelial activation biomarkers increase after HIV-1 acquisition, and whether biomarker levels measured in chronic infection would predict disease progression and death in HIV-1 seroconverters.

Filarial-specific antibody response in east African bancroftian filariasis: effects of host infection, clinical disease, and filarial endemicity

Abstract/Overview The effect of host infection, chronic clinical disease, and transmission intensity on the patterns of specific antibody responses in Bancroftian filariasis was assessed by analyzing specific IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, and IgE profiles among adults from two communities with high and low Wuchereria bancrofti endemicity. In the high endemicity community, intensities of the measured antibodies were significantly associated with infection status. IgG1, IgG2, and IgE were negativ...

Immunoepidemiology of Wuchereria bancrofti infection: Parasite transmission intensity, Filaria-specific antibodies, and host immunity in two East African communities

Abstract/Overview We compared the age profiles of infection and specific antibody intensities in two communities with different transmission levels in East Africa to examine the contribution of humoral responses to human immunity to the vector-borne helminth Wuchereria bancrofti. The worm intensities were higher and exhibited a nonlinear age pattern in a high-transmission community, Masaika, in contrast to the low but linearly increasing age infection profile observed for a low-transmissi...

Spatial clustering of malaria and associated risk factors during an epidemic in a highland area of western Kenya

Abstract/Overview The epidemiology of malaria over small areas remains poorly understood, and this is particularly true for malaria during epidemics in highland areas of Africa, where transmission intensity is low and characterized by acute within and between year variations. We report an analysis of the spatial distribution of clinical malaria during an epidemic and investigate putative risk factors. Active case surveillance was undertaken in three schools in Nandi District, Western Keny...