HIV 'Superinfection' Boosts Immune Response
Women who have been infected by two different strains of HIV from two different sexual partners - a condition known as HIV superinfection - have more potent antibody responses that block the replication of the virus compared to women who've only been infected once. These findings, by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, are published online March 29 in PLoS Pathogens. "We found that women who had been infected twice not only had more potent antibody responses, but some of these women had 'elite' antibody activity, meaning that they had a broad and potent ability to neutralize a wide variety of strains of HIV over a sustained period of time, " said senior author Julie Overbaugh, Ph.
HIV Infection From Two Strains Increase Immune Response
The March 29 issue of the online Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens reveals that women with HIV superinfection, i.e. who have been infected by two different strains of HIV from two different sexual partners have more potent antibody responses that inhibit the virus from replicating compared to women who have only been infected once. The finding by researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center may provide insight to developing an HIV-1 vaccine, which offers protection against various circulating strains.
Game Used By Researchers To Change How Scientists Study Outbreaks
An international team of scientists has created an innovative tool for teaching the fundamentals of epidemiology - the science of how infectious diseases move through a population. The team teaches a workshop annually in South Africa that helps epidemiologists improve the mathematical models they use to study outbreaks of diseases like cholera, AIDS and malaria. Led by Steve Bellan from the University of California at Berkeley, the team created a new game as a teaching aid for the workshop. The exercise, which has proven extremely effective in demonstrating concepts in epidemiology, is presented in the April 3 edition of the online, open-access journal PLoS Biology.