Dissertation 12 April 2019: Rose Bosire

On April 12 Rose Kerubo Otiso Bosire will defend her thesis "Maternal antibody transfer in HIV-1 infected women and impact on infant health: the role of antiretroviral prophylaxis and breastfeeding practices". Her opponent is Professor Heather Jaspan from the Departments of Global Health and Pediatrics, University of Washington. Rose's supervisors are Marie Reilly, Carey Farquhar and Barbara Lohman-Payne.

The background of Rose's study is that children born to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected women are more vulnerable to infections and are more likely to die even when they are not HIV-1 infected. These adverse outcomes may blunt any gains made in escaping HIV-1 infection and could be ameliorated by improving maternal antibody transfer to the baby. The overall aim of this thesis was to study the role of antiretroviral prophylaxis and breastfeeding practices on maternal antibody transfer to their children and on the morbidity these children experience in the first year of life.

Rose shows some benefit for maternal triple ART compared to short-course ZDV in passive antibody transfer via the placenta and that high EBF rates are attainable. The non-significant findings for impact on morbidity and mortality outcomes among HEU children highlight the complexity of unravelling the mechanisms that underlie the higher vulnerability that has been observed in these children. The findings from this thesis may be used to inform the design of future studies so that ultimately the health and survival of HEU children can be secured.

Time and location: 09:00, April 12 2019 in the lecture hall Atrium, Nobels väg 12B, Karolinska Institutet, Solna