The effect of human immunodeficiency virus-1 infection and stunting on measles immunoglobulin-G levels in children vaccinated against measles in Uganda

Measles is an important public health problem in developing nations and there is concern that immune response to measles vaccination may be compromised by paediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship of immunoglobulin-G (Ig-G) antibody levels in children vaccinated against measles and HIV-1 infection. Further analysis was done to assess the influence of nutritional status on this relationship. The authors measured HIV and measles antibodies in 243 vaccinated children aged 17-41 months from Kampala, Uganda. Children were from paediatric and HIV clinics. Potential confounders of this relationship included nutritional anthropometric measures, age at and time since vaccination, measles exposure, family crowding, vaccination clinic and gender. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to study these associations. Fifty children (21%) were HIV infected. In univariable analysis, low measles antibody (