Browsing by Author "Taseera, Kabanda"
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Item Human Immune Response Varies by the Degree of Relative Cryptococcal Antigen Shedding(Oxford University Press, 2016) Boulware, David R.; Hohenberg, Maximilian von; Rhein, Joshua; Akampurira, Andrew; Williams, Darlisha A.; Taseera, Kabanda; McDonald, Tami; Muzoora, Conrad; Meya, David B.; Hullsiek, Katherine Huppler; For the Cryptococcal Optimal ART Timing (COAT) Trial TeamCerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal glucuronoxylomannan antigen (CrAg) titers generally correlate with quantitative fungal culture burden; however, correlation is not precise. Some patients have higher CrAg titers with lower fungal burdens and vice versa. We hypothesized that the relative discordancy between CrAg titer and quantitative culture burden reflects the relative degree of CrAg shedding by Cryptococcus neoformans and is associated with human immune responses.One hundred ninety human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals with cryptococcal meningitis were enrolled in Uganda and South Africa. We compared initial CSF CrAg titers relative to their CSF quantitative cultures to determine low (n = 58), intermediate (n = 68), or high (n = 64) CrAg shedders. We compared cytokines measured by Luminex multiplex assay on cryopreserved CSF and 10-week mortality across shedding groups using linear and logistic regression and distribution of genotypes by multilocus sequence typing.The relative degree of CrAg shedding was positively associated with increasing CSF levels of the following: interleukin (IL)-6, IL-7, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (each P < 0.01), which are all secreted by antigen-presenting cells and negatively associated with vascular endothelial growth factor (P = .01). In addition, IL-5, IL-13, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and macrophage chemotactic protein were decreased in low-CrAg shedders compared with intermediate shedders (each P ≤ .01). Type 1 T-helper cells (Th1) cytokine responses and 10-week mortality did not differ between the shedding groups. Cryptococcal genotypes were equally distributed across shedding groups.Discordancy between CrAg shedding and expected shedding based on quantitative fungal burden is associated with detectable immunologic differences in CSF, primarily among secreted cytokines and chemokines produced by antigen-presenting cells and Th2.Item Prevalence of antibodies to Brucella species in commercial raw bovine milk in Southwestern Uganda(BMC Research Notes, 2017) Kamwine, Monicah; Orikiriza, Patrick; Taseera, Kabanda; Iramiot, Jacob Stanley; Ojuka, Patrick; Ikiriza, Steven; Atwebembeire, Jeninah; Otieno, Duncan; Tweshengyereze, Silver; Mwanga‑Amumpaire, Juliet; Bazira, Joel; Boum II, YapThe purpose and objective of this research was to explore the prevalence of antibodies against Brucella species in raw milk samples collected in Southwestern Uganda, one of the biggest milk producing regions in the Country. We hypothesized that there is a high level of antibodies in milk samples from this region. This builds more evidence to other studies in the region on the level contamination of raw milk. Results: A total of 185 raw milk samples, collected from dairy farms and factories in southwestern region, were tested for antibodies to Brucella spp. using the milk ring test (MRT) and indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (i-ELISA).We found a prevalence of 26.5% (49/185) by the two methods. This is related to previous reports in the region and adds more evidence on the need for further investigations to confirm the source of these antibodies and their relationship with disease in milk producing animals.