Browsing by Author "Olivier, Abraham Jacobus"

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    Characterisation of mucosal tissue in the foreskin after voluntary medical male circumcision
    (2016) Harryparsad, Rushil; Gray, Clive M; Olivier, Abraham Jacobus
    Background: Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) reduces the risk of HIV-1 acquisition by up to 60% as shown in a number of randomized controlled trials in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. MMC has also been shown to reduce the prevalence of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) -2 and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) by 25% and 35% respectively. Asymptomatic STIs may elevate the risk of HIV-1 acquisition by recruiting HIV-1 target cells to the foreskin. The higher permeability of the inner foreskin may play a role in HIV-1 acquisition as well as the number of target cells present in the foreskin. The more inflamed inner foreskin may be increasing the risk of a productive HIV-1 infection. The aims of this dissertation was to a) examine the levels of keratinisation in the inner and outer foreskins after MMC; b) investigate the number of Langerhans, Ki67+ and CD4+ T cells in the inner and outer foreskin and c) identify the impact of asymptomatic STIs on the numbers and proliferative capacity of foreskin-resident Langerhans and CD4+ T cells.
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    Inflammation in the male genital tract: implications for HIV acquisition and transmission
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2012) Olivier, Abraham Jacobus; Roberts, L; Coetzee, D; Williamson, A; Passmore, JS; Burgers, WA
    Elevated plasma levels of pro-inflammatory mediators such as TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8, MIP-1α, MIP-1β and RANTES have been demonstrated in HIV-infected individuals and HIV induces higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the female genital tract. We characterized levels of inflammation in semen, to gain an understanding of factors influencing transmission and acquisition in the male genital tract. Our hypothesis was that infected men would exhibit higher levels of inflammation in semen than uninfected men.
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    Studies on immunity in the male genital tract
    (2011) Olivier, Abraham Jacobus; Burgers, Wendy
    The male genital tract is a major site of HIV acquisition and transmission. It is an obvious site for inducing immune responses to candidate HIV vaccines, to prevent infection or halt the spread of the virus. There are relatively few published studies characterising T cells in the male genital tract. A challenge that hampers studies at this mucosal surface is obtaining samples with sufficient immune cells. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to establish an optimised method to isolate immune cells from the male genital tract. Cellular activation and inflammation in the genital tract have important implications for both transmission and acquisition of HIV, since they provide target cells for viral replication. Thus, the second and third aim of this study was to investigate mucosal T cell activation and inflammatory cytokine profiles in semen in HIV?infected and uninfected men, and compare the immune milieu of the genital tract with the systemic compartment.