Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Although HIV-positive women are at risk of passing the HIV infection to their infants during birth and during breastfeeding, the majority of infants born to HIV-positive women never become infected with HIV. However, it has been discovered that even these HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) infants are more likely to be hospitalized or die of childhood infections than infants born to HIV-negative mothers. We currently do not understand what makes these HEU infants more vulnerable to infections. Our research group is studying the development of the immune system during the first years of life in a group of South African HEU infants. We are attempting to determine whether their exposure to HIV from their mothers has caused a change in their immune systems that leaves them more at risk of infections. Another factor that may be important in the risk of HEU infants is whether or not they are fed breast milk. This is because breastfeeding is known to protect infants from common childhood infectious diseases. Because of the potential importance of breastfeeding amongst HEU infants, our research group is working to develop a reliable method of collecting information on the feeding behaviors of South African HEU infants. Our plan is to then relate their consumption of breast milk to how their immune systems develop in order to understand whether this contributes to their risk of contracting infections.