antibodies
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHIV Is Associated with Modified Humoral Immune Responses in the Setting of HIV/TB Coinfection
TB is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent globally, followed by HIV. Furthermore, TB represents the leading cause of death among people with HIV. HIV is known to cause severe defects in T cell immunity, rendering HIV/TB-coinfected individuals more susceptible to TB disease progression and complicating accurate TB disease diagnosis. Here, we demonstrate that HIV infection is additionally associated with severely...
- Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Going Native, or the Risk of Overreliance on Recombinant Antigens
Mary Lopez-Perez works on immunology and pathogenesis of malaria. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how the paper “Functional antibodies against VAR2CSA in nonpregnant populations from Colombia exposed to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax” by S. Gnidehou, J....
- Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Predicting Immune Responses and Susceptibility to Influenza Virus—May the Data Be with You
Irene Ramos works in the field of immunology to viral infections. In this mSphere of Influence article, she reflects on how “Global analyses of human immune variation reveal baseline predictors of postvaccination responses” by Tsang et al. (Cell 157:499–513, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.03.031) and “A crowdsourced analysis to identify ab initio molecular signatures...
- Opinion/Hypothesis | Host-Microbe BiologyPotential of Chemically Synthesized Oligosaccharides To Define the Carbohydrate Moieties of the Fungal Cell Wall Responsible for the Human Immune Response, Using Aspergillus fumigatus Galactomannan as a Model
Methodologies to identify epitopes or ligands of the fungal cell wall polysaccharides influencing the immune response of human pathogens have to date been imperfect. Using the galactomannan (GM) of Aspergillus fumigatus as a model, we have shown that synthetic oligosaccharides of distinct structures representing key fragments of cell wall polysaccharides are the most...
- Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionMaternal Humoral Immune Responses Do Not Predict Postnatal HIV-1 Transmission Risk in Antiretroviral-Treated Mothers from the IMPAACT PROMISE Study
Each year, >150,000 infants become newly infected with HIV-1 through MTCT despite ART, with up to 42% of infections occurring during breastfeeding. Several factors contribute to continued pediatric infections, including ART nonadherence, the emergence of drug-resistant HIV strains, acute infection during breastfeeding, and poor access to ART in resource-limited areas. A better understanding of the maternal humoral immune responses...
- Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologyLooking for Needles in the Plasmodial Haystack
Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains a globally leading infectious disease problem. Despite decades of intense investigation, an efficacious and practical vaccine offering durable protection to people living in areas with transmission of malaria parasites remains an elusive goal.
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Shigella Proteome Microarray Discriminates Targets of Human Antibody Reactivity following Oral Vaccination and Experimental Challenge
Each year, more than 180 million cases of severe diarrhea caused by Shigella occur globally. Those affected (mostly children in poor regions) experience long-term sequelae that severely impair quality of life. Without a licensed vaccine, the burden of disease represents a daunting challenge. An improved understanding of immune responses to Shigella is necessary to support ongoing efforts to identify a safe and...
- Observation | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEvaluation of Dried Blood Spots and Oral Fluids as Alternatives to Serum for Human Papillomavirus Antibody Surveillance
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent of cervical and other anogenital cancers. HPV vaccination, primarily targeted at young girls before the age of sexual debut, is starting to demonstrate population-level declines in HPV infection and early disease associated with vaccine-incorporated genotypes. Monitoring young women for vaccine-specific antibody is important for vaccine surveillance and may be useful as an adjunct test...
- Minireview | Host-Microbe BiologyNovel Concepts for HIV Vaccine Vector Design
The unprecedented challenges of developing effective vaccines against intracellular pathogens such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis have resulted in more rational approaches to vaccine development. Apart from the recent advances in the design and selection of improved epitopes and adjuvants, there are also ongoing efforts to optimize delivery platforms.