Cohorts

• ACUTE INFECTION STUDY

  Title: Characterisation of the evolution of adaptive immune responses in acute HIV clade C virus infection

  Aims and objectives: 
  - Recruit and follow up a cohort of people with documented evidence of primary HIV C clade infection
  - Provide clinical and laboratory framework to characterize immunological and virological responses that occur early in the course of HIV
  - Identify immunologic and virologic factors that influence disease progression

• CHRONIC INFECTION (SINIKITHEMBA COHORT) STUDY

  Title: Augmentation of HIV-specific T cell immunity by highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) instituted in acute paediatric HIV infection followed by supervised treatment interruptions (STI)

  Aims and Objectives:
  - To investigate the immunodominant HIV-specific Cytotoxic T-cell Lymphocytes (CTL) responses directed through HLA class I molecules prevalent in C-clade infected persons
  - To compare the magnitude and functional activity of CTL to defined epitopes in mothers and children
  - To evaluate the significance of epitope sequence variation in relation to vaccine design
  - To evaluate specific immune responses to other chronic infections

• FRESH STUDY

  Title: Females Rising through Education, Support, and Health (FRESH) Study; Establishment and long-term follow-up of a cohort of HIV negative women in Umlazi, South Africa. 

  Aims and Objectives:

  - Define the prevalence and incidence of HIV infection, amongst high risk women from Umlazi, KZN, South Africa

  - Assess ability to establish and retain a cohort of high risk HIV-negative women, and achieve high rates of adherence to a study protocol requiring very frequent (twice weekly) follow-up for a minimum of 24-months.

  - Identify acute HIV-1 infections (AHI) within the cohort, with at least 30% of AHI captured within Fiebig stages I and II (prior to advent of detectable antibiody), to support the detailed characterization of host responses and viral dynamics.

• PSP STUDY

  Title: Impact of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class I Alleles on Immune Control of Paediatric Infection

  Aims and Objectives:

  To determine:

  - The impact of host genetics, in particular HLA class I alleles, on paediatric HIV disease  progression;

  - The impact of the host immune response against HIV, in particular the CD8+ T-cell responses; 

  - Differences between adults and children in immune-mediated control of HIV.

• GATEWAY STUDY

  Title: Impact of recent HIV infection in a study cohort of postnatal mothers

  Aims and Objectives:

  - To determine the extent and rate of HIV adaptation at the population level over a decade in a locality where HIV incidence has been persistently high

  - To determine the impact of recent infection by an adapted virus on immune responses and immune control of HIV

  - To determine the incidence and impact of recent infection in mothers who test seronegative in pregnancy and become HIV infected in the 12-24 months following antenatal testing