Since the incidence of symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus infection is low (~0.05%) and risk factors are not well defined, it is difficult to develop strategies for prevention. The aim of this study was to recognise the utility of specific Immunoglobulin G avidity analysis for distinguishing primary infection from past/recurrent infection. Sera from 50 women with cytomegalovirus specific Im...

BACKGROUND Interpretation of positive cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunoglobulin M (IgM) in the first trimester of pregnancy is ill-defined. We aimed to quantify the risk of fetal transmission in women with positive CMV IgM in the first trimester. METHODS A retrospective cohort of women (2009-2011) was tested for CMV immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM before 14 weeks of gestation. IgG avidity was teste...

Significant differences in both specificity and avidity of anti-DNA antibodies were observed in the sera of groups of patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus glomerulonephritis, active systemic lupus erythematosus without nephritis, and in IgG eluates obtained by DNAase digestion of isolated glomeruli from glomerulonephritic kidneys. With methylated albumin-kieselguhr fractionated 3H-...

Negative selection of self-reactive T-cells during thymic development, along with activation-induced cell death in peripheral lymphocytes, is designed to limit the expansion and persistence of autoreactive T-cells. Autoreactive T-cells are nevertheless present, both in patients with type 1 diabetes and in at-risk subjects. By using MHC class II tetramers to probe the T-cell receptor (TcR) speci...

Recent studies in both animal models and clinical trials have demonstrated that the avidity of T cells is a major determinant of antitumor and antiviral immunity. In this study, we evaluated several different vaccine strategies for their ability to enhance both the quantity and avidity of CTL responses. CD8(+) T cell quantity was measured by tetramer binding precursor frequency, and avidity was...

VAR2CSA mediates sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes in the placenta, increasing the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes. Naturally acquired antibodies (Ab) to placental parasites at delivery have been associated with improved pregnancy outcomes, but Ab levels and how early in pregnancy Ab must be present in order to eliminate placental parasites before delivery remains unk...

BACKGROUND Accurate incidence estimates are needed for surveillance of the HIV epidemic. HIV surveillance occurs at maternal-child health clinics, but it is not known if pregnancy affects HIV incidence testing. METHODS We used the BED capture immunoassay (BED) and an antibody avidity assay to test longitudinal samples from 51 HIV-infected Ugandan women infected with subtype A, C, D and inters...

Toxoplasmosis has been associated with economic and public health concerns due to abortion in humans animals. Detection for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies sera 174 healthy sheep (IgG) 89 aborted women (IgG, IgM, IgG avidity) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay T. 59 milk samples identified by PCR. The primary risk factors seropositive were also analyzed. Relatively higher...

We present evidence here for two stages in B-memory cell development, the first of which is T independent and the second T dependent. For these studies, we use a new type of T-deficient mouse (allotype suppressed) which specifically lacks T-helper activity (Th) for a subset of memory B cells responsible for approximately 10% of the overall IgG antibody response. We have shown elsewhere that the...