We are delighted to share groundbreaking insights from the latest article published by lead author Louise du Toit, a PhD student whose research with mothers and infants enrolled in the Siyakhula Study was carried out at our Research Centre.
The study sheds light on metabolic alterations in mothers living with HIV and their HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) infants. In South Africa, the number of HEU infants is substantial and these vulnerable infants often have suboptimal growth and are more susceptible to infection compared to their HIV-unexposed, uninfected counterparts, yet the underlying reasons remain poorly understood.
The Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy technique utilised in this study for analysis of plasma of mothers and infants indicated that in utero exposure to HIV/antiretroviral therapy caused differences in some key metabolites in pregnant women living with HIV and their HEU infants. These metabolites are particularly important in energy utilisation and protection from infection, potentially elucidating the observed disparities in health outcomes.

Read the full article at: https://lnkd.in/dSB-keEC
Metabolic alterations in mothers living with HIV and their HIV-exposed, uninfected infants. Viruses 2024,16,313.
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Theresa Rossouw Ute Feucht Louise du Toit