We are interested in evaluating the role of
maternal viral load, immune activation and plasma cytokine environment on the neonatal immune repertoire present at birth by measuring cord blood TCR diversity through amplification of the CDR3 region followed by sequence analysis of expanded clones.
Hepatitis B
viral load testing is typically done in the third trimester of pregnancy, so that
maternal antiviral therapy can be started if is very high, helping identifying mothers who are highly viremic.
Villamor, E., Aboud, S., Koulinska, I. N., Kupka, R., Urassa, W., Chaplin, B., Msamanga, G., and Fawzi, W. W. Zinc supplementation to HIV -1-infected pregnant women: effects on
maternal anthropometry,
viral load, and early mother - to - child transmission.