Young South African women are at exceptionally high risk of HIV infection. We have previously shown that genital tract inflammation is a key risk factor for HIV acquisition and that young South African women have higher levels of inflammation than older women. The aim of the MISC study is to identify the socio-behavioral and biological causes of inflammation in these young women.

This study is a collaboration between Seattle Children’s Hospital (Principal Investigator: Assistant Prof Heather Jaspan), the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Jo-Ann Passmore), the University of Cape Town and the Burnet Institute (Principal Investigator: Dr Lindi Masson). It is a longitudinal, observational cohort study including 300 adolescent and 100 adult women in two regions in South Africa (Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal).

Each woman is being asked to visit the clinic for a baseline visit, followed by four follow-up visits that are timed around sexual activity. Extensive demographic, sexual behaviour, contraceptive use and vaginal hygiene practice data is being collected. Biological factors that are being investigated include the microbiome, HIV target cell phenotype and activation and inflammatory cytokine profiles in the female reproductive tract.

Timeline

2017–2021