Melanie Kiener
King Center on Global Development
Infectious Disease Postdoctoral Medical Fellow
Stanford University School of Medicine
Melanie Kiener is an adult infectious disease fellow, completing her post-doctoral research years in Dr. Desiree LaBeaud's laboratory. Kiener's research interests include global health epidemiology, infectious diseases diagnostics, and global antimicrobial stewardship.
King Center Supported Research
2022 - 2023 Academic Year | Global Development Research Funding
Estimating The Seroprevalence of Zika Virus in Coastal Kenya
The prevalence of Zika virus exposure in costal Kenya is not clearly defined, in large part due to the challenges of diagnostic testing and cross-reactivity with similar viruses such as dengue. The aim of this study is to utilize a highly specific Zika IgG antibody detection test called the pGOLD assay, which has not previously been used for surveillance testing in Kenya. We will first determine the feasibility of pooling samples while maintaining sensitivity of the assay, followed by cross-sectional surveillance testing on a cohort of banked samples from coastal Kenya. Our results will provide new and valuable information for this population.