In addition, participants could attend government health services for investigation and management of any illnesses between booked study visits. A record was kept of investigations and treatments given through these other health services. The

primary objective Selleck Venetoclax of this analysis was to evaluate the association of malaria parasitaemia and helminth infection with antibody responses against HPV-16 and HPV-18 one month (Month 7) and six months (Month 12) after the last scheduled vaccine dose in African females aged 10–25 years. Potential participants were recruited from schools, colleges and family planning clinics in Mwanza, and invited to attend a screening visit for eligibility approximately one month prior to enrolment. Prior to screening, informed consent was obtained from participants aged 18–25 years. For participants aged 10–17 years, we sought consent from a parent or legally authorized representative, as well as assent AZD2281 chemical structure from the participant. Participants were eligible for enrolment if they were aged 10–25 years at the time of first vaccination, HIV

negative, not pregnant, had not had more than six lifetime sexual partners, were free of obvious health problems as established by medical history and examination, had no history of neurologic disorders and were willing to use contraception or to abstain from sex if sexually active for 30 days prior to vaccination and for two months after completion of vaccination. The enrolment was age-stratified, with one-third of participants in the 10–14 years age-stratum and the remainder in the 15–25 years age-stratum. Study procedures for the HPV 021 trial have been described in detail elsewhere [12]. In brief, the HPV vaccine and placebo were administered intramuscularly into the deltoid muscle of the non-dominant

arm at the Month 0 visit and again at Month 1 and Month 6 visits. Sociodemographic characteristics were collected at Month 0 in face-to-face interviews using standardized questionnaires. Blood samples were collected at Months 0, 2, others 7 and 12 to evaluate antibody responses against HPV-16 and HPV-18 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In order to test for helminth infection and malaria parasitaemia at Month 7, participants provided (i) a blood sample for the diagnosis of malaria, (ii) a first void urine sample for the diagnosis of Schistosoma haematobium and (iii) three separate stool samples (during the week following the Month 7 visit) for the diagnosis of Schistosoma mansoni, Ancylostoma duodenale (hookworm), Strongyloides stercoralis, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Taenia spp. Participants who tested positive for malaria or helminth infections were provided with treatment by study clinicians at a subsequent study visit. Pairs of thick and thin peripheral blood films from each patient were stained with Giemsa stain in Mwanza, and examined by light microscopy at NIMR in Mwanza, and confirmed at LSHTM.