Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adriana Harbuzariu, Annette Nti, Keri Oxendine Harp, Juan C. Cespedes, Adel Driss, Jonathan K. Stiles
Summary: Human cerebral malaria is a severe complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection that leads to capillary occlusions, blood-brain barrier rupture, cellular injury, and brain swelling. The parasite-derived HRP2 plays a role in inducing brain injury and inflammation, while the neuroprotective factor NRG1 shows potential as a therapy against HRP2 effects.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Stefan Schlabe, Ingrid Reiter-Owona, Tamara Nordmann, Ramona Dolscheid-Pommerich, Egbert Tannich, Achim Hoerauf, Juergen Rockstroh
Summary: HRP2-negative P. falciparum strains may not be detected by currently available HRP2-based RDTs. This case highlights the importance of confirming malaria through microscopy and/or qPCR when suspected, especially in regions where pfhrp2/3 deletion is prevalent. Such cases can lead to false-negative results in RDTs and may pose a risk to returning travelers from endemic areas.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Amy Kong, Scott A. Wilson, Yong Ah, Douglas Nace, Eric Rogier, Michael Aidoo
Summary: The Plasmodium falciparum antigen histidine rich protein 2 (HRP2) is commonly targeted in malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), but some parasites may have deletions of the HRP2 gene. Cross-reactivity exists between HRP2 and HRP3, and different combinations of hrp2 and hrp3 genotypes may impact clinical sensitivity of HRP2-based tests.
Article
Biology
Claudia A. Vera-Arias, Aurel Holzschuh, Colins O. Oduma, Kingsley Badu, Mutala Abdul-Hakim, Joshua Yukich, Manuel W. Hetzel, Bakar S. Fakih, Abdullah Ali, Marcelo U. Ferreira, Simone Ladeia-Andrade, Fabian E. Saenz, Yaw Afrane, Endalew Zemene, Delenasaw Yewhalaw, James W. Kazura, Guiyun Yan, Cristian Koepfli
Summary: A novel assay for molecular surveillance of hrp2/hrp3 deletions was developed based on droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). The assay was able to accurately quantify hrp2, hrp3, and a control gene. A comparison with the conventional nested PCR (nPCR) assay showed that ddPCR had a higher accuracy in detecting hrp2 deletions. Screening of 830 samples from different locations revealed pronounced differences in the prevalence of hrp2 and hrp3 deletions.
Review
Infectious Diseases
Xavier Martianez-Vendrell, Malia Skjefte, Ruhi Sikka, Himanshu Gupta
Summary: The recent COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on global malaria elimination efforts, leading to increased malaria cases and deaths. To mitigate this impact, it is crucial to address unmet needs in malaria diagnostics and develop more effective and accurate diagnostic tools.
TROPICAL MEDICINE AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Colleen M. Leonard, Ashenafi Assefa, Jessica N. McCaffery, Camelia Herman, Mateusz Plucinski, Heven Sime, Hussein Mohammed, Amha Kebede, Hiwot Solomon, Mebrahtom Haile, Matt Murphy, Jimee Hwang, Eric Rogier
Summary: This study evaluated the presence of pfhrp2/3 gene deletions and the performance of RDT in a low transmission setting using DBS samples collected from a national household survey in Ethiopia. The findings revealed the existence of dual pfhrp2/3 gene deletions, which raises concerns about the utility of biomarkers in household surveys in very low transmission settings.
Article
Immunology
Claire Kamaliddin, Colin J. Sutherland, Sandrine Houze, Gilles Cottrell, Valerie Briand, Daniel Castaneda Mogollon, Dylan R. Pillai
Summary: Ultrasensitive molecular diagnostics are revolutionizing the detection of malaria parasites in the blood, providing insights that conventional tools cannot capture. These technologies, such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification and recombinase polymerase amplification, offer portable and analytically sensitive solutions with potential benefits for asymptomatic patient screening, antenatal care, and elimination campaigns.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Alice Kamau, Robert S. Paton, Samuel Akech, Arthur Mpimbaza, Cynthia Khazenzi, Morris Ogero, Eda Mumo, Victor A. Alegana, Ambrose Agweyu, Neema Mturi, Shebe Mohammed, Godfrey Bigogo, Allan Audi, James Kapisi, Asadu Sserwanga, Jane F. Namuganga, Simon Kariuki, Nancy A. Otieno, Bryan O. Nyawanda, Ally Olotu, Nahya Salim, Thabit Athuman, Salim Abdulla, Amina F. Mohamed, George Mtove, Hugh Reyburn, Sunetra Gupta, Jose Lourenco, Philip Bejon, Robert W. Snow
Summary: This study explores the relationship between age patterns of malaria hospitalization and malaria transmission intensity. The results indicate that the majority of malaria admissions occur in children under 5 years old, and in areas with higher transmission intensity, the average age of malaria hospitalization is younger. In moderate and high transmission settings, chemoprevention and vaccines can target a significant proportion of the children in the target age range.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Correa Bezerra Bellei, Nicolas Glanzmann, Barbara Albuquerque Carpinter, Daniela Chaves Renhe, Carolina Brandi Marques, Marina Rocha Azevedo, Livia Maria Barreto, Vinicius Novaes Rocha, Isabelle Karine da Costa Nunes, Henrique Marcelo Gualberto Pereira, Elaine Soares Coimbra, Eduardo Antonio Ferraz Coelho, Adilson David da Silva, Fernando de Pilla Varotti, Kezia Katiani Gorza Scopel
Summary: Chloroquine remains the most effective drug for malaria treatment, although resistance to it has emerged. This study focuses on the synthesis of quinoline derivatives to develop new antimalarials. Compound 3 showed promising activity against malaria, inhibiting parasite growth and protecting against severe malaria development.
CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Hongru Pian, Mingzhu Yang, Xiaodong Sun, Zhi Zheng
Summary: To prevent and eliminate malaria, mass screening of asymptomatic infections in low malaria-endemic regions is essential but challenging. Traditional molecular diagnostic strategies are not suitable for low-resource settings and lack sensitivity and throughput. We developed a novel SHB-LAMP technology that is high-throughput, sensitive, rapid, cost-effective, and user-friendly for RNA target detection without the need for RNA extraction or reverse transcription. SHB-LAMP has a better limit of detection compared to other LAMP or PCR-based assays and can screen a large number of samples within a short time.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Seda Yerlikaya, Ewurama D. A. Owusu, Augustina Frimpong, Robert Kirk DeLisle, Xavier C. Ding
Summary: This study identified two novel malaria diagnostic biomarkers, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase and dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase, through a systematic review and in silico analysis. These candidates have favorable diagnostic features and partially de-risked product development prospects, paving the way for next-generation malaria rapid diagnostic tests.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wei Wei, Weijia Cheng, Wenhao Dai, Feng Lu, Yaru Cheng, Tingting Jiang, Zhenyu Ren, Yiting Xie, Jiahui Xu, Qun Zhao, Xianjun Yu, Yi Yin, Jian Li, Haifeng Dong
Summary: This study introduces a nanoparticle formulation of an antimalarial drug coated in a biomimetic membrane derived from brain microvascular endothelial cells and demonstrates its therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of cerebral malaria, offering new insight into nanoparticle-based therapeutics for malaria and parasitic infections.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Queen Saidi, Daniel Minja, Judith Njau, Helle Hansson, Reginald Kavishe, Michael Alifrangis
Summary: This study compared the diagnostic sensitivity of different DNA extraction protocols for detecting low-level Plasmodium falciparum infections. The results showed that using a commercial kit greatly improved the likelihood of detecting positive samples.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Casper Hempel, Dan Milner, Karl Seydel, Terrie Taylor
Summary: Recent studies suggest that endothelial glycocalyx plays a role in malaria pathogenesis. Using postmortem brain samples, changes in specific sugar epitopes were found in cerebral capillaries of children who died from cerebral malaria compared to nonmalarial comas. These findings suggest specific remodeling of cerebral microvessels in cerebral malaria patients.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alvaro Baeza Garcia, Edwin Siu, Xin Du, Lin Leng, Blandine Franke-Fayard, Chris J. Janse, Shanshan W. Howland, Laurent Renia, Elias Lolis, Richard Bucala
Summary: Cerebral malaria, the deadliest complication of Plasmodium parasite infection, may be caused by neuroinflammation leading to cerebral edema and blood-brain barrier dysfunction. Plasmodium MIF can enhance inflammatory response by signaling through host MIF receptor CD74, contributing to the development of cerebral malaria. Studies using CD74 deficient hosts and PMIF deficient parasites suggest a potential mechanism for the onset of experimental cerebral malaria and liver stage Plasmodium development.
