Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Stephanie Studniberg, Lisa J. Ioannidis, Retno A. S. Utami, Leily Trianty, Yang Liao, Waruni Abeysekera, Connie S. N. Li-Wai-Suen, Halina M. Pietrzak, Julie Healer, Agatha M. Puspitasari, Dwi Apriyanti, Farah Coutrier, Jeanne R. Poespoprodjo, Enny Kenangalem, Benediktus Andries, Pak Prayoga, Novita Sariyanti, Gordon K. Smyth, Alan F. Cowman, Ric N. Price, Rintis Noviyanti, Wei Shi, Alexandra L. Garnham, Diana S. Hansen
Summary: This study investigates the differences between individuals experiencing symptomatic and asymptomatic P. falciparum infection using a systems approach. The results show that asymptomatic malaria, despite having protective responses, still exhibits an immunosuppressive transcriptional signature, which may impact the control of parasites and the response to malaria vaccines.
MOLECULAR SYSTEMS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Kelsey M. Sumner, Elizabeth Freedman, Judith N. Mangeni, Andrew A. Obala, Lucy Abel, Jessie K. Edwards, Michael Emch, Steven R. Meshnick, Brian W. Pence, Wendy Prudhomme-O'Meara, Steve M. Taylor
Summary: New infections with only novel haplotypes were associated with increased odds of symptomatic malaria, while recurrent infections with only recurrent haplotypes had milder symptoms. Additionally, persistent infections with mixed haplotypes were less likely to be associated with symptomatic malaria.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Michelle K. Muthui, Eizo Takashima, Brian R. Omondi, Christine Kinya, William I. Muasya, Hikaru Nagaoka, Kennedy W. Mwai, Benedict Orindi, Juliana Wambua, Teun Bousema, Chris Drakeley, Andrew M. Blagborough, Kevin Marsh, Philip Bejon, Melissa C. Kapulu
Summary: Naturally acquired immunity to gametocyte antigens plays a crucial role in interrupting transmission, influenced by age and concurrent parasitaemia. Novel candidates for evaluating transmission-blocking activity have been identified in this study.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Katherine O'Flaherty, Jo-Anne Chan, Julia C. Cutts, Sophie G. Zaloumis, Elizabeth A. Ashley, Aung Pyae Phyo, Damien R. Drew, Arjen M. Dondorp, Nicholas P. Day, Mehul Dhorda, Rick M. Fairhurst, Pharath Lim, Chanaki Amaratunga, Sasithon Pukrittayakamee, Tran Tinh Hien, Ye Htut, Mayfong Mayxay, M. Abul Faiz, Olugbenga A. Mokuolu, Marie A. Onyamboko, Caterina Fanello, Eizo Takashima, Takafumi Tsuboi, Michael Theisen, Francois Nosten, James G. Beeson, Julie A. Simpson, Nicholas J. White, Freya J. Fowkes
Summary: The study found that Pfs230 and Pfs48/45 antibodies are associated with patent gametocytemia and increasing gametocyte density across multiple malaria endemic settings, including regions with emerging artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Gloria Matambisso, Nanna Brokhattingen, Sonia Maculuve, Pau Cistero, Henriques Mbeve, Anna Escoda, Judice Miguel, Elena Buetas, Ianthe de Jong, Boaventura Cuna, Cardoso Melembe, Nelo Ndimande, Gemma Porras, Haily Chen, Kevin K. A. Tetteh, Chris Drakeley, Benoit Gamain, Chetan Chitnis, Virander Chauhan, Llorenc Quinto, Beatriz Galatas, Eusebio Macete, Alfredo Mayor
Summary: During a period of declining malaria transmission in southern Mozambique, primigravid women in high-to-moderate transmission settings have the highest detectable and clinically relevant infection rates, which decrease with declining malaria. In contrast, secundigravidae experience increased parasite densities and reduced antibody levels as malaria trends decline. Factors other than acquired immunity may play a role in producing less detectable infections among primigravidae during marked declines in malaria transmission.
Article
Microbiology
Susanne E. Mortazavi, Allan Lugaajju, Mark Kaddumukasa, Muyideen Kolapo Tijani, Fred Kironde, Kristina E. M. Persson
Summary: The concentration of OPN in infants was higher than in mothers and independent of maternal OPN concentrations. OPN concentrations in infants were inversely correlated with atypical MBCs and P. falciparum-specific MBCs, while positively correlated with BAFF concentrations. In vitro, OPN had no direct effect on P. falciparum growth.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Hamatandi Magloire Natama, Eduard Rovira-Vallbona, Meryam Krit, Pieter Guetens, Hermann Sorgho, M. Athanase Some, Maminata Traore-Coulibaly, Innocent Valea, Petra F. Mens, Henk D. F. H. Schallig, Dirk Berkvens, Luc Kestens, Halidou Tinto, Anna Rosanas-Urgell
Summary: Genetic polymorphisms in genes involved in innate immune responses are associated with malaria susceptibility in infants, potentially by modulating the production of inflammatory mediators.
Article
Immunology
Nsoh G. Anabire, Maria del Pilar Quintana, Michael F. Ofori, Lars Hviid
Summary: Infected erythrocytes that sequester in the placenta via parasite-encoded VAR2CSA-type PfEMP1 are selectively eliminated following delivery as their cognate adhesion receptor in the placenta is lost. Parasitemia among pregnant women with protective immunity to Plasmodium falciparum malaria is often dominated by VAR2CSA-positive infected erythrocytes (IEs). VAR2CSA mediates sequestration of IEs in the placenta. We hypothesized that the previously observed spontaneous postpartum clearance of parasitemia in such women is related to the expulsion of the placenta, which removes the sequestration focus of VAR2CSA-positive IEs. We assessed parasitemias and gene transcription before and shortly after delivery in 17 Ghanaian women. The precipitous decline in parasitemia postpartum was accompanied by selective reduction in transcription of the gene encoding VAR2CSA. Our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the earlier observation.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Michaela Raacke, Amy Kerr, Michael Doerpinghaus, Jana Brehmer, Yifan Wu, Stephan Lorenzen, Christine Fink, Thomas Jacobs, Thomas Roeder, Julie Sellau, Anna Bachmann, Nahla Galal Metwally, Iris Bruchhaus
Summary: Infections with Plasmodium falciparum lead to a strong immunological response in the human host, with over 30 cytokines detected in elevated levels. Endothelial cells (ECs) may play a role in cytokine secretion, and plasma from malaria patients can affect the gene expression and biological processes of ECs.
Review
Microbiology
Muyideen Kolapo Tijani, Allan Lugaajju, Kristina E. M. Persson
Summary: Antibodies play a central role in acquired immunity against malaria, particularly in regions where a vaccine is not readily available. While naturally acquired antibodies provide some protection against Plasmodium falciparum, they do not confer sterile immunity and their mechanisms of action are still not fully understood. Studies have shown both beneficial and potentially harmful roles of naturally acquired antibodies, as well as the challenges of combining different antibodies in acquired immunity against malaria.
Article
Immunology
Neta Simon, Jaclyn Shallat, John Houck, Prasanna Jagannathan, Mary Prahl, Mary K. Muhindo, Abel Kakuru, Peter Olwoch, Margaret E. Feeney, Whitney E. Harrington
Summary: This study found that maternal peripheral Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia during early pregnancy is associated with increased detection of cord blood maternal microchimerism, but the first parasitemia episode in the infant is not associated with increased maternal microchimerism in cord blood.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mamoru Niikura, Toshiyuki Fukutomi, Shoichiro Mineo, Jiro Mitobe, Fumie Kobayashi
Summary: Mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland, can be more severe in postpartum mice infected with malaria parasites, leading to weight loss in pups and structural changes in the mammary gland tissue. Inflammation induced by IFN-gamma is associated with the development of mastitis in postpartum mice infected with Pb ANKA.
Editorial Material
Biology
Elizabeth H. Aitken, Stephen J. Rogerson
Summary: Research has shown that antibodies targeting the protein responsible for placental malaria can recognize multiple variants of the protein, providing important guidance for the development of new vaccines to protect pregnant women from malaria.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Nikunja Kolluri, Shwetha Kamath, Patrick Lally, Mina Zanna, James Galagan, Jesse Gitaka, Moses Kamita, Mario Cabodi, Srinivasa Raju Lolabattu, Catherine M. Klapperich
Summary: In the process of malaria elimination, persistent infections may be difficult to diagnose and treat. A novel isothermal amplification assay was designed using a computational approach, which showed analytical sensitivity comparable to PCR methods in amplifying Plasmodium DNA.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Benoit Gamain, Arnaud Chene, Nicola K. Viebig, Nicaise Tuikue Ndam, Morten A. Nielsen
Summary: Adults in malaria endemic areas usually acquire clinical immunity against malaria, but pregnant women, especially during their first pregnancies, are susceptible to placental malaria. Placental malaria is characterized by the accumulation of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes and monocytes in the placenta, leading to maternal anaemia, hypertension, and fetal growth retardation. However, the prevalence of placental malaria decreases significantly with successive pregnancies.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Stefano Guerra, Julie G. Ledford, Erik Melen, Iris Lavi, Anne-Elie Carsin, Debra A. Stern, Jing Zhai, Marta Vidal, Mariona Bustamante, Kenneth J. Addison, Renata G. Vallecillo, Dean Billheimer, Gerard H. Koppelman, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Nathanael Lemonnier, Montserrat Fito, Carlota Dobano, Simon Kebede Merid, Inger Kull, Rosemary R. C. McEachan, John Wright, Leda Chatzi, Manolis Kogevinas, Daniela Porta, Silvia Narduzzi, Ferran Ballester, Ana Esplugues, Carlos Zabaleta, Amaia Irizar, Jordi Sunyer, Marilyn Halonen, Jean Bousquet, Fernando D. Martinez, Josep M. Anto
Summary: A study was conducted to screen circulating proteins in childhood asthma and investigate their association with the disease in a mouse model. It was found that creatine kinase (CK) was consistently associated with asthma, and this association was further supported by gene expression analysis and a mouse model experiment.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miquel Porta, Jose Pumarega, Magda Gasull, Ruth Aguilar, Luis A. Henriquez-Hernandez, Xavier Basagana, Manuel Zumbado, Judit Villar-Garcia, Cristina Rius, Sneha Mehta, Marta Vidal, Alfons Jimenez, Laura Campi, Joan Lop, Octavio L. Perez Luzardo, Carlota Dobano, Gemma Moncunill
Summary: In a prospective cohort study of 154 individuals from the general population of Barcelona, individual concentrations of certain pollutants and chemical elements were found to be associated with COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection. If these associations are confirmed as causal, measures can be taken to mitigate the corresponding risks.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Surgery
Shivshankar Thanigaimani, Vikram Iyer, John Bingley, Daniel Browne, James Phie, Denise Doolan, Jonathan Golledge
Summary: This study examined the association between serum microRNAs (miRNAs) and diagnosis and growth of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), and tested their diagnostic and prognostic value. The expression levels of 800 miRNA tags were assessed in AAA patients, healthy controls, and patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). The miRNAs let-7b-5p and miR-548n improved the ability to diagnose AAA, but none of the miRNAs had independent prognostic value in predicting AAA growth.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF VASCULAR AND ENDOVASCULAR SURGERY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Ruth Aguilar, Xue Li, Claudia S. Crowell, Teresa Burrell, Marta Vidal, Rocio Rubio, Alfons Jimenez, Pablo Hernandez-Luis, Dieter Hofmann, Hrvoje Mijocevic, Samuel Jeske, Catharina Christa, Elvira D'Ippolito, Paul Lingor, Percy A. Knolle, Hedwig Roggendorf, Alina Priller, Sarah Yazici, Carlo Carolis, Alfredo Mayor, Patrik Schreiner, Holger Poppert, Henriette Beyer, Sophia E. Schambeck, Luis Izquierdo, Marta Tortajada, Ana Angulo, Erwin Soutschek, Pablo Engel, Alberto Garcia-Basteiro, Dirk H. Busch, Gemma Moncunill, Ulrike Protzer, Carlota Dobano, Markus Gerhard
Summary: This study found a strong positive correlation between neutralizing antibody levels and IgG levels, especially against RBD, in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additionally, symptomatic infection was positively associated with antibody levels and neutralizing activity. These findings suggest that relatively simple and high-throughput serological assays can be used to assess levels of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Manolis Kogevinas, Marianna Karachaliou, Ana Espinosa, Ruth Aguilar, Gemma Castano-Vinyals, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Anna Carreras, Beatriz Cortes, Vanessa Pleguezuelos, Kyriaki Papantoniou, Rocio Rubio, Alfons Jimenez, Marta Vidal, Pau Serra, Daniel Parras, Pere Santamaria, Luis Izquierdo, Marta Cirach, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Payam Dadvand, Kurt Straif, Gemma Moncunill, Rafael de Cid, Carlota Dobano, Cathryn Tonne
Summary: This study found an association between long-term exposure to air pollution and a lower antibody response to COVID-19 vaccines. Among vaccinated individuals without prior infection, higher levels of exposure to PM2.5, NO2, BC, and O3 were associated with lower vaccine antibody responses. This association persisted over time since vaccination.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Amir Ariff, Yong Song, Ruth Aguilar, Augusto Nhabomba, Maria Nelia Manaca, Siew-Kim Khoo, Selma Wiertsema, Quique Bassat, Arnoldo Barbosa, Llorenc Quinto, Ingrid A. Laing, Caterina Guinovart, Pedro L. Alonso, Carlota Dobano, Peter Le Souef, Guicheng Zhang
Summary: In a randomized controlled clinical trial in Mozambique, researchers found significant associations between TLR4 gene and related genes with the incidence of clinical malaria. These findings suggest a potential central role of TLR4 in the pathogenesis of clinical malaria.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marta Ribes, Julia Montana, Marta Vidal, Ruth Aguilar, Patricia Nicolas, Uxue Alfonso, Natalia Rodrigo, Carlo Carolis, Carlota Dobano, Gemma Moncunill, Carlos Chaccour
Summary: This study conducted a seroprevalence survey in the community of Cizur, Spain and found the lowest proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children under 10 and the highest among adolescents. The study also identified a heterogeneous immune-response profile among participants, with generally correlated levels. Additionally, individuals with a technical education level were most affected financially. Therefore, economic impact biases should be considered when designing public health measures.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Chenjerai Jairoce, Didac Macia, Jorge P. Torres-Yaguana, Leonie Mayer, Marta Vidal, Rebeca Santano, Ramon Hurtado-Guerrero, Karine Reiter, David L. Narum, Borja Lopez-Gutierrez, Timothy Hamerly, Jahit Sacarlal, Ruth Aguilar, Rhoel R. Dinglasan, Gemma Moncunill, Luis Izquierdo, Carlota Dobano
Summary: The study shows that the RTS,S/AS02A malaria vaccine induces IgG antibodies that equally recognize nonfucosylated and native-like fucosylated PfCSP, indicating that posttranslational modification by O-fucosylation does not significantly affect antibody-antigen binding.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Parasitology
Alfredo Mayor, Deus S. Ishengoma, Joshua L. Proctor, Robert Verity
Summary: This review discusses sampling design practices for malaria molecular surveillance (MMS) and highlights the factors that need to be considered. It provides examples for different use cases and serves as a guide for sample and data collection, methodological innovation, and utilization of MMS to support malaria elimination.
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Claudia Gomes, Rosauro Varo, Miquel Duran-Frigola, Antonio Sitoe, Rubio Bila, Sonia Machevo, Alfredo Mayor, Quique Bassat, Ana Rodriguez
Summary: Malaria can progress from an uncomplicated infection to a life-threatening severe disease. Early symptoms are often nonspecific, making it difficult to identify patients at high risk. By analyzing the transcriptomic response of human brain microvascular endothelial cells to Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes, several biomarkers have been identified to distinguish uncomplicated from severe malaria, as well as to differentiate children with cerebral malaria within the severe malaria group.