Article
Microbiology
Victor Osoti, Mercy Akinyi, Kevin Wamae, Kelvin M. Kimenyi, Zaydah de Laurent, Leonard Ndwiga, Paul Gichuki, Collins Okoyo, Stella Kepha, Charles Mwandawiro, Regina Kandie, Philip Bejon, Robert W. Snow, Lynette Isabella Ochola-Oyier
Summary: Molecular surveillance is crucial for tracking antimalarial resistance, and this study revealed new mutations and resistance trends in Plasmodium falciparum parasites in Kenya. The research provides valuable insights into drug sensitivity and resistance patterns.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Heather J. Painter, Joanne M. Morrisey, Michael W. Mather, Lindsey M. Orchard, Cuyler Luck, Martin J. Smilkstein, Michael K. Riscoe, Akhil B. Vaidya, Manuel Llinas
Summary: The emergence of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum parasites poses a challenge to global malaria eradication efforts, highlighting the importance of identifying new antimalarial drugs. Studying the molecular mechanism of drug resistance has revealed a novel resistance mechanism that could potentially guide the development of future antimalarial combination therapies.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Rachel Weitzman, Ortal Calfon-Peretz, Trishna Saha, Naamah Bloch, Karin Ben Zaken, Avi Rosenfeld, Moshe Amitay, Abraham O. Samson
Summary: Malaria is a prevalent parasitic disease that kills between one and two million people, mostly children, every year. Most antimalarial drugs exhibit cyclic resistance patterns, supporting the use of combination therapy with multiple antimalarial drugs.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Beatrice Irungu, Erick Okari, Mary Nyangi, Sospeter Njeru, Lilian Koech
Summary: This study compiled scientific research evidence on antimalarial medicinal plants screened in Kenya and found the need for further research and clinical trials to develop new antimalarial drugs.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Vigyasa Singh, Rahul Singh Hada, Ravi Jain, Manu Vashistha, Geeta Kumari, Snigdha Singh, Neha Sharma, Meenakshi Bansal, Poonam, Martin Zoltner, Conor R. Caffrey, Brijesh Rathi, Shailja Singh
Summary: This study found that phthalimide analogs with benzimidazole and 1,2,3-triazole structures have anti-malarial activity, effectively inhibiting the growth of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum without apparent toxicity to cells. These analogs interact with tubulin protein of the parasite, leading to mitochondrial membrane depolarization and cell death. Combination with artemisinin enhances their efficacy. In a mouse model, these analogs also reduce parasitemia and prolong host survival. These findings suggest that phthalimide analogs could be a promising avenue for the development of anti-malarial drugs.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Huong Giang Le, Haung Naw, Jung-Mi Kang, Tuan Cuong Vo, Moe Kyaw Myint, Zaw Than Htun, Jinyoung Lee, Won Gi Yoo, Tong-Soo Kim, Ho-Joon Shin, Byoung-Kuk Na
Summary: This study analyzed the antimalarial drug resistance genes in malaria parasites in the Mandalay region of Myanmar and found substantial levels of mutations conferring antimalarial drug resistance. Continuous monitoring of these mutations is necessary to provide useful information for policymakers.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Preeti Kushwaha, Vipin Kumar, Biswajit Saha
Summary: beta-Carboline alkaloids are important nitrogen-based natural alkaloids and therapeutic molecules that exhibit various pharmacological activities through diverse mechanisms. There has been increasing attention towards developing effective antimalarial drugs based on this compound. This article comprehensively reviews the clinical and preclinical antimalarial scaffolds containing beta-carboline structure. The study focuses on the natural and semi-synthetic analogues of beta-carbolines reported in the last decade (2011-2021), providing insights into their mechanisms of action and potential for future therapeutic development.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Dancan M. Wakoli, Bartholomew N. Ondigo, Douglas O. Ochora, Joseph G. Amwoma, Winnie Okore, Edwin W. Mwakio, Gladys Chemwor, Jackeline Juma, Raphael Okoth, Charles Okudo, Redemptah Yeda, Benjamin H. Opot, Agnes C. Cheruiyot, Dennis Juma, Amanda Roth, Benhards R. Ogutu, Daniel Boudreaux, Ben Andagalu, Hoseah M. Akala
Summary: This study investigated the susceptibility of Kenyan parasites to various antimalarials and found that while the parasites remained sensitive to Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and other antimalarials, the response to artemether and lumefantrine was declining.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Charlotte Rasmussen, Pedro Alonso, Pascal Ringwald
Summary: Since the 1960s, efforts have been made to respond to antimalarial resistance, especially with the emergence of artemisinin partial resistance in the Greater Mekong Subregion. However, independent cases of artemisinin partial resistance have now been reported in Rwanda. To effectively address this resistance, better surveillance and new strategies for using existing treatments are needed to combat the spread of resistant parasites.
EXPERT REVIEW OF ANTI-INFECTIVE THERAPY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Weijia Cheng, Wei Wang, Huiyin Zhu, Xiaonan Song, Kai Wu, Jian Li
Summary: Rapid detection of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is crucial for malaria treatment. A platform based on allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) and lateral flow assay (LFA) was developed and evaluated for accurate SNP detection of pfmdr1. It offers a useful tool to identify antimalarial drug resistance and can support the effort to eliminate malaria globally.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Silvia Parapini, Silvio Paone, Emanuela Erba, Loredana Cavicchini, Manoochehr Pourshaban, Francesco Celani, Alessandro Contini, Sarah D'Alessandro, Anna Olivieri
Summary: Malaria causes numerous cases and deaths annually, and the search for novel antimalarial drugs is essential. This study tested a series of Rac1 inhibitors and found that EHop-016 exhibited the most effective inhibitory activity against Plasmodium falciparum, without affecting red blood cell invasion but impacting parasite growth internally.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Donelly A. van Schalkwyk, Robert W. Moon, Maelle Duffey, Didier Leroy, Colin J. Sutherland
Summary: Research has shown that Plasmodium knowlesi is less susceptible to some new antimalarial drugs compared to P. falciparum, but more susceptible to others. It is therefore urgent to determine the susceptibility profile of all human malaria species to the current generation of antimalarial compounds.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-DRUGS AND DRUG RESISTANCE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Oriana Kreutzfeld, Patrick K. Tumwebaze, Martin Okitwi, Stephen Orena, Oswald Byaruhanga, Thomas Katairo, Melissa D. Conrad, Stephanie A. Rasmussen, Jennifer Legac, Ozkan Aydemir, David Giesbrecht, Barbara Forte, Peter Campbell, Alasdair Smith, Hiroki Kano, Samuel L. Nsobya, Benjamin Blasco, Maelle Duffey, Jeffrey A. Bailey, Roland A. Cooper, Philip J. Rosenthal
Summary: The drug susceptibilities of 998 fresh clinical isolates of Plasmodium falciparum collected in eastern Uganda from 2015 to 2022 were assessed. The results showed that the isolates were highly susceptible to the 19 antimalarial compounds under development, suggesting that preexisting resistance-mediating mutations in African malaria parasites may not limit the efficacies of these drugs.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Benjamin R. Taft, Fumiaki Yokokawa, Tom Kirrane, Anne-Catherine Mata, Richard Huang, Nicole Blaquiere, Grace Waldron, Bin Zou, Oliver Simon, Subramanyam Vankadara, Wai Ling Chan, Mei Ding, Sandra Sim, Judith Straimer, Armand Guiguemde, Suresh B. Lakshminarayana, Jay Prakash Jain, Christophe Bodenreider, Christopher Thompson, Christian Lanshoeft, Wei Shu, Eric Fang, Jafri Qumber, Katherine Chan, Luying Pei, Yen-Liang Chen, Hanna Schulz, Jessie Lim, Siti Nurdiana Abas, Xiaoman Ang, Yugang Liu, Inigo Angulo-Barturen, Maria Belen Jimenez-Diaz, Francisco Javier Gamo, Benigno Crespo-Fernandez, Philip J. Rosenthal, Roland A. Cooper, Patrick Tumwebaze, Anna Caroline Campos Aguiar, Brice Campo, Simon Campbell, Jurgen Wagner, Thierry T. Diagana, Christopher Sarko
Summary: A highly potent antimalarial compound, INE963 (1), with favorable pharmacological properties, has been identified through high-throughput screening and shows potential for curing uncomplicated malaria.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Wei Liu, Chuyi Yu, Miaomiao Wang, Youyou He, Zhongjie Guo, Jin He, Ru Jiang, Qin Xu, Jianming Liang, Shengzheng Wang
Summary: Recently, the antitumor activity of artemisinin and its derivatives has been discovered. This study constructed novel Pt-IV-artesunate complexes to combine the antitumor advantages of artesunate and platinum drugs. The derivatives, especially 10f, exhibited potent in vitro antitumor activities against various cancer cell lines. Compound 10f demonstrated remarkable in vivo antitumor efficacy in a xenograft model, and also showed potent in vivo antimalarial activity. This study highlights the therapeutic potential of Pt(IV)-artesunate complexes as antitumor and antimalarial agents.
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Xuelian Chang, Daibin Zhong, Xiaoming Wang, Mariangela Bonizzoni, Yiji Li, Guofa Zhou, Liwang Cui, Xing Wei, Guiyun Yan
G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS
(2020)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Alessandra Tancredi, Davide Papandrea, Michele Marconcini, Rebeca Carballar-Lejarazu, Mauricio Casas-Martinez, Eugenia Lo, Xiao-Guang Chen, Anna R. Malacrida, Mariangela Bonizzoni
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina M. Crava, Finny S. Varghese, Elisa Pischedda, Rebecca Halbach, Umberto Palatini, Michele Marconcini, Leila Gasmi, Seth Redmond, Yaw Afrane, Diego Ayala, Christophe Paupy, Rebeca Carballar-Lejarazu, Pascal Miesen, Ronald P. van Rij, Mariangela Bonizzoni
Summary: Horizontal gene transfer from viruses to eukaryotic cells is a common phenomenon, with nrEVEs in Aedes aegypti potentially serving as a heritable, sequence-specific mechanism for antiviral immunity. The study shows that virus endogenization events are complex, with only a few nrEVEs playing a role in adaptive evolution in A. aegypti.
Article
Immunology
Vanessa M. Macias, Umberto Palatini, Mariangela Bonizzoni, Jason L. Rasgon
Summary: The article discusses the importance of using genetic engineering methods to study biology and disease transmission in mosquitoes, as well as the potential obstacles that may be encountered in such research. By expanding the applications of genetic engineering in other areas of mosquito biology, more knowledge about disease vectors can be obtained.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Elisa Pischedda, Cristina Crava, Martina Carlassara, Susanna Zucca, Leila Gasmi, Mariangela Bonizzoni
Summary: Researchers developed the ViR pipeline to address the issues in detecting viral integration sites in non-model organisms, and validated its accuracy using both in silico and real sequencing data. ViR is expected to facilitate a deeper exploration of the biological roles and significance of EVEs in non-model organisms.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Michelle D. S. Boakye, Collins J. Owek, Elizabeth Oluoch, Sefa Bonsu Atakora, Juddy Wachira, Yaw A. Afrane
Summary: The study found that training, updates, remuneration, and providing necessary tools are important factors in helping CHWs sustain their services and enhance the efficient delivery of CCMm.
Article
Microbiology
Francesca Scolari, Anna Sandionigi, Martina Carlassara, Antonia Bruno, Maurizio Casiraghi, Mariangela Bonizzoni
Summary: Mosquitoes harbor diverse microbiota, influenced by breeding site water, with larvae showing different and more diverse microbial communities compared to emerged adults dominated by Proteobacteria. The microbiota of breeding site water increases in diversity over time, indicating dynamic interactions among bacterial communities, breeding sites, and mosquito hosts. Analysis of Wolbachia infection in different strains confirms dual wAlbA and wAlbB strain infection patterns, with variations in infection rates among strains.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Michele Marconcini, Elisa Pischedda, Vincent Houe, Umberto Palatini, Nabor Lozada-Chavez, Davide Sogliani, Anna-Bella Failloux, Mariangela Bonizzoni
Summary: The Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus plays a key role in the (re)-emergence of the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Through small RNA and whole genome sequencing, researchers have uncovered the molecular mechanisms behind viral persistence in mosquitoes, highlighting the involvement of all three RNAi pathways in maintaining homeostasis during late stage CHIKV infection. PIWI-interacting (pi)RNAs specifically target a unique vDNA fragment, while piRNAs derived from existing nonretroviral Endogenous Viral Elements (nrEVEs) are linked to differential expression of mosquito transcripts.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Joyce K. Osoro, Maxwell G. Machani, Eric Ochomo, Christine Wanjala, Elizabeth Omukunda, Stephen Munga, Andrew K. Githeko, Guiyun Yan, Yaw A. Afrane
Summary: The study demonstrated that pyrethroid resistance in An. gambiae resulted in a fitness cost on their pre-imaginal development time and survival. Insecticide resistance delayed the development and reduced the survivorship of An. gambiae larvae, which is crucial in shaping resistant management strategies.
Article
Biology
Umberto Palatini, Claudia A. Contreras, Laila Gasmi, Mariangela Bonizzoni
Summary: nrEVEs represent a novel form of inherited antiviral immunity present in mosquitoes, particularly in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Further research into the biology and evolution of nrEVEs is essential for developing new transmission-blocking vector control strategies.
CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Augusta Soninour Kolekang, Yaw Afrane, Stephen Apanga, Dejan Zurovac, Anthony Kwarteng, Samuel Afari-Asiedu, Kwaku Poku Asante, Anthony Danso-Appiah
Summary: Despite efforts to improve adherence to the WHO-supported malaria case management guideline in Ghana, challenges such as irregular supply of diagnostic kits, mistrust of laboratory tests, and reluctance to change treatment methods remain. Training of healthcare providers and laboratory personnel to investigate non-malaria fevers is necessary to improve adherence to the guideline.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alfred Hubbard, Elizabeth Hemming-Schroeder, Maxwell Gesuge Machani, Yaw Afrane, Guiyun Yan, Eugenia Lo, Daniel Janies
Summary: This study uses landscape genetics to investigate the environmental drivers of malaria and shows that Lake Victoria acts as a barrier to transmission between different areas. It also finds significant correlations between genetic and geographic distance. These findings suggest the importance of landscape genetics in understanding the transmission of vector-borne diseases.
Article
Virology
Umberto Palatini, Niccolo Alfano, Rebeca Lejarazu Carballar, Xiao-Guang Chen, Helene Delatte, Mariangela Bonizzoni
Summary: Mosquitoes' nonretroviral endogenous viral elements (nrEVEs) have recently been described as a new form of heritable, sequence-specific mechanism of antiviral immunity. In this study, we used bioinformatics and molecular approaches to identify and characterize viral integrations in wild collected Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. We found that the landscape of viral integrations is dynamic and not correlated with the virome. However, our results confirmed an interaction between nrEVEs and the piRNA and siRNA pathways in mosquitoes.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Cheikh Cambel Dieng, Colby T. Ford, Anita Lerch, Dickson Doniou, Kovidh Vegesna, Daniel Janies, Liwang Cui, Linda Amoah, Yaw Afrane, Eugenia Lo
Summary: Despite its low efficacy, the world's first malaria vaccine RTS,S was endorsed by WHO for broad use in children in October 2021. This study investigated the polyclonal infections and the associations between genetic variations of the parasite and binding affinity to human leukocyte antigen (HLA). The findings suggest that multiple non-3D7 strains among P. falciparum infections could impact the effectiveness of RTS,S. Longer peptides of specific regions should be considered in future versions of the vaccine.
INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Akua O. Forson, Isaac A. Hinne, Isaac Kwame Sraku, Yaw A. Afrane
Summary: This study determined the stability and productivity of potential mosquito larval habitats in two ecological sites in southern Ghana. The presence of larvae in the habitats was found to depend on rainfall intensity and proximity to human settlements. To optimize malaria control measures in southern Ghana, larval control should be targeted towards habitats that are fed by underground water, as these are more productive.
