Department of Immunology Staff Publications

Diagnosis of neurological infections in AIDS patients: Possibilities for Zimbabwe

Sat, 01 Jan 2000 00:00:00 GMT

Diagnosis of neurological infections in AIDS patients: Possibilities for Zimbabwe Chaka, W.; Gangaidzo, I. Routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination and culture was performed on CSF obtained from 23 HIV infected adults presenting with neurological symptoms at Parirenyatwa Hospital. Bacterial growth was obtained in CSF from two patients. Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) was the predominant cause of adult meningitis with 10 patients being diagnosed with CM based on the detection of C. neoformans (positive culture or India ink stain) or a positive CSF cryptococcal antigen test. In three of the 10 patients (33%) C. neoformans had been missed on India ink staining and culture. The cryptococcal antigen latex test offers a rapid and reliable test and its use must be advocated in the routine laboratory

Serum IgG subclasses levels in paediatric patients with pneumonia

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Serum IgG subclasses levels in paediatric patients with pneumonia Mazengera, L. R.; Nathoo, K. J.; Rusakaniko, R; Zegers, B. J. M. Objectives: To determine the IgG subclass levels of patients admitted to Harare Central Hospital paediatric wards with pneumonia. Design: A cross sectional study. Setting: Harare Central Hospital. Departments of Immunology and Paediatrics. University of Zimbabwe: Department of Paediatric Immunology, University of Utrecht. The Netherlands. Subjects: 56 paediatric patients. Main Outcome Measures: IgG subclass profiles of children with pneumonia. Results: Of the 56 children tested, 40 (71%) had antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The levels of IgGl and IgG3 subclasses were significantly higher in HIV antibody positive children (p<0.001, p<0.01 respectively) than in those without detectable HIV antibodies in their sera. There was no significant relationship between IgG subclass levels and the presence of HIV p24 antigen. Furthermore, age and gender also had no significant influence on the levels of IgG subclasses in this population. Conclusion: High levels of IgGl and IgG3, but not IgG2 and IgG4. occur frequently in children with pneumonia and are associated with the presence of HIV antibodies.

Comparative evaluation and assessment of the diagnostic usefulness of four commercial HIV-l/HIV-2 antibody assays using two well-characterized serum panels from Blood Transfusion Service and the National Health Laboratory services in Zimbabwe

Mon, 01 Jan 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Comparative evaluation and assessment of the diagnostic usefulness of four commercial HIV-l/HIV-2 antibody assays using two well-characterized serum panels from Blood Transfusion Service and the National Health Laboratory services in Zimbabwe Chishawa, O.T.C.; Ziyambi, Z.; Ndlovu, P.; Rusakaniko, S.; Moyo, O.; Zijenah, L.S. Objective: To evaluate four Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ( ELISA) HIV kits for possible use as a combination at the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) in Zimbabwe. Design: Laboratory evaluation, sensitivity, specificity and cost effectiveness of HIV diagnostic kits. Setting: Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) and Parirenyatwa Hospital in Zimbabwe. Subjects: A total of 346 samples from 245 patients referred to Parirenyatwa Hospital and 101 blood donors at BTS. Main outcome: The main goal was to come out with the best combination of ELISA kits in terms of sensitivity, specificity and cost effectiveness for use in diagnosis of HIV infection in Zimbabwe. Results: The best combination kit was the Murex/Innotest with 100% sensitivity and 98.9% specificity, being slightly superior to the Genelavia/Vironostika combination kits in current use at NHLS. In addition, the Murex/Innotest combination has the shortest assay running time and requires fewer internal controls thereby increasing the number of test specimens per run. Conclusion: We recommend the use of the Murex/Innotest kits as a suitable combination for HIV infection diagnosis in Zimbabwe. The combination has a relatively low number of discordant results, drastically reducing the cost of running a third confirmatory test to resolve the discordant results. Most importantly, this combination maximizes HIV infection diagnosis by its ability to detect antibodies to HIV-1 groups M and O as well as HIV--2.

Vitamin A status of term and preterm infants delivered at Harare Central Hospital and fed exclusively on breast milk

Sat, 01 Jan 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Vitamin A status of term and preterm infants delivered at Harare Central Hospital and fed exclusively on breast milk Chinyanga, E.A.; Chidede, O.; Choga, T.; Machisvo, A.; Malaba, L.; Sibanda, E.N. Objective: To investigate the vitamin A status of pregnant mothers, lactating mothers, preterm and term infants who were being fed exclusively on breast milk. Design: Systematic/cross sectional. Setting: Vitamin A research laboratory, animal science research laboratory, University of Zimbabwe, and Harare Central Hospital.