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genetic diversity

Repiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Principal Investigator(s): 
D James Nokes

A main focus of our current research is the transmission dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus, the major viral cause of infant and childhood severe pneumonia worldwide. RSV, as it is known, exhibits considerable genetic diversity (Groups A and B and within each a set of variants) which is apparently under immune selection. Occurrence of the virus is structured at the population level exhibiting sequential dominance of these variants; presumably resulting from (localised) strain specific herd immunity that provides competitive fitness to the least prevalent strains.

Aetiology and disease burden of respiratory and enteric viral pathogens

Principal Investigator(s): 
D James Nokes

• Viral aetiology, epidemiology and disease burden of paediatric pneumonia hospitalisations in the coastal Kenyan setting.

• Disease burden and genetic diversity of rotavirus in hospitalized rural Kenyan children

• Investigating the aetiology and spatial-temporal risk factors of diarrhoeal pathogens using a broad spectrum real-time PCR detection assay

Viral genetic and antigenic variation: infection, immunity, control

Principal Investigator(s): 
D James Nokes
Other Investigator(s): 
Charles Sande


• The effects of strain variation on respiratory syncytial virus infection and Immunity (Charles Sande, PhD Student)

• RSV evolution and molecular epidemiology (Charles Nyaigoti, WT Masters Fellow)

• Genetic diversity of group A rotavirus strains in severe diarrhoeal admissions

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