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.
Article
Microbiology
Eduard Rovira-Vallbona, Nguyen Van Hong, Johanna H. Kattenberg, Ro Mah Huan, Nguyen Thi Huong Binh, Nguyen Thi Hong Ngoc, Pieter Guetens, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, Nguyen Luong Hieu, Vu Thi Sang, Nguyen Duc Long, Erin Sauve, Tran Thanh Duong, Nguyen Xuan Xa, Annette Erhart, Anna Rosanas-Urgell
Summary: The study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of chloroquine against uncomplicated Plasmodium vivax malaria in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam. The results showed that chloroquine remained largely effective in treating P. vivax, with recurrences occurring late and in the presence of low blood concentrations, but potential emergence of low-grade resistance should be closely monitored using both whole-genome sequencing and gene expression analysis.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Katharine A. Collins, Azrin N. Abd-Rahman, Louise Marquart, Emma Ballard, Nathalie Gobeau, Paul Griffin, Stephan Chalon, Joerg J. Moehrle, James S. McCarthy
Summary: This study evaluated the antimalarial activity of artefenomel, a new drug candidate, against P. vivax malaria. The results showed that artefenomel effectively cleared parasites after oral administration, but recrudescence occurred in some participants. The minimum inhibitory concentration and parasiticidal concentration were estimated, and a single 300-mg dose showed a high efficacy in clearing parasites. Gametocytemia was observed in all participants and cleared after dosing. Overall, the findings support further clinical development of artefenomel as a treatment for P. vivax malaria.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brodie L. Bailey, William Nguyen, Anna Ngo, Christopher D. Goodman, Maria R. Gancheva, Paola Favuzza, Laura M. Sanz, Francisco-Javier Gamo, Kym N. Lowes, Geoffrey I. McFadden, Danny W. Wilson, Benoit Laleu, Stephen Brand, Paul F. Jackson, Alan F. Cowman, Brad E. Sleebs
Summary: The study identified a triazolopyrimidine compound with good activity against Plasmodium falciparum and high selectivity against human cells, but faced challenges such as slow onset of action and low aqueous solubility. Further optimization is needed for its development as a potential partner in anti-malarial treatment.
BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Anne Cristine Almeida, Anna Beatriz Ribeiro Elias, Maria Paula Marques, Gisely Cardoso de Melo, Allyson Guimaraes da Costa, Erick Frota Gomes Figueiredo, Larissa Wanderley Brasil, Fernanda Rodrigues-Soares, Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro, Marcus Vinicius Guimaraes de Lacerda, Vera Lucia Lanchote, Guilherme Suarez-Kurtz
Summary: The study investigated the impact of Plasmodium vivax malaria and chloroquine-primaquine chemotherapy on CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 activity in patients from the Brazilian Amazon. Results showed alterations in CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 metabolic phenotypes, potentially due to changes in pharmacokinetics and cytokine levels during different stages of vivax malaria illness and treatment.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Laurent Dembele, Ousmaila Diakite, Fanta Sogore, Soriya Kedir, Fatalmoudou Tandina, Mohamed Maiga, Andargie Abate, Lemu Golassa, Abdoulaye A. Djimde
Summary: One of the main obstacles to malaria elimination is the ability of Plasmodium vivax to form resilient hypnozoites in the host liver, causing relapsing infections. Recent studies have found P. vivax in Duffy-negative individuals in Africa, where it was previously thought to be absent. However, research on African P. vivax is limited due to the focus on falciparum malaria and lack of laboratory infrastructure. Therefore, establishing a transmission model and evaluating drug susceptibility in African P. vivax is crucial for further research and drug discovery.
BMC INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Suelen Queiroz Diniz, Maria Marta Figueiredo, Pedro Augusto Carvalho Costa, Olindo Assis Martins-Filho, Andrea Teixeira-Carvalho, Dhelio Batista Pereira, Mauro Shugiro Tada, Luis Carlos Crocco Afonso, Markus Kohlhoff, Carlos Leomar Zani, Ricardo Tostes Gazzinelli, Fabiano Oliveira, Lis Ribeiro Antonelli
Summary: This study reveals that monocytes in patients with malaria produce high levels of inflammatory cytokines and also have a regulatory role through specific receptors, suggesting a dual role of monocytes in malaria.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
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
Biology
Tobias Mourier, Denise Anete Madureira de Alvarenga, Abhinav Kaushik, Anielle de Pina-Costa, Olga Douvropoulou, Qingtian Guan, Francisco J. Guzman-Vega, Sarah Forrester, Filipe Vieira Santos de Abreu, Cesare Bianco Junior, Julio Cesar de Souza Junior, Silvia Bahadian Moreira, Zelinda Maria Braga Hirano, Alcides Pissinatti, Maria de Fatima Ferreira-da-Cruz, Ricardo Lourenco de Oliveira, Stefan T. Arold, Daniel C. Jeffares, Patricia Brasil, Cristiana Ferreira Alves de Brito, Richard Culleton, Claudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro, Arnab Pain
Summary: Plasmodium simium, a malaria parasite of non-human primates, likely originated in South America from Plasmodium vivax and has recently acquired the ability to infect humans. Genetic analysis suggests that specific gene deletions in P. simium, especially in the Duffy-binding protein 1 (DBP1), may play a role in its ability to invade human red blood cells, leading to recent zoonotic infections.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jack Adderley, Christian Doerig
Summary: This study fills gaps in the kinomes of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, highlighting their similarities and differences for target selection. It also identifies kinases that are not suitable targets for drug discovery due to their high similarity with human counterparts.
Editorial Material
Infectious Diseases
Fang Huang, Li Zhang, Zhi-Gui Xia
Summary: This article highlights China's practices and experience in targeting vivax malaria control and elimination, including radical cure strategies, comprehensive but adaptive strategies, mass drug administration, and case-/focus-centered surveillance and response systems. After nearly 70 years of effort, China was certified as a malaria-free country in June 2021.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF POVERTY
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Cindy S. Chu, Marie Stolbrink, Daniel Stolady, Makoto Saito, Candy Beau, Kan Choun, Tha Gay Wah, Ne Mu, Klay Htoo, Be Nu, Arunrot Keereevijit, Jacher Wiladpaingern, Verena Carrara, Aung Pyae Phyo, Khin Maung Lwin, Christine Luxemburger, Stephane Proux, Prakaykaew Charunwatthana, Rose McGready, Nicholas J. White, Francois Nosten
Summary: This study reviewed all malaria cases managed by the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit along the Thailand-Myanmar border between 2000 and 2016. The results showed that Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax malaria had higher incidence and mortality rates in this area compared to areas of low seasonal malaria transmission.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
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)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Giovane de Jesus Gomes Ribeiro, Sun Liu Rei Yan, Giuseppe Palmisano, Carsten Wrenger
Summary: Malaria, mainly affecting Africa and Southeast Asia, claims over 500,000 lives annually. The disease is caused by the protozoan parasite Plasmodium, with Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum being the main culprits in humans. The emergence of artemisinin-resistant strains in Southeast Asia underscores the urgent need for more effective and safe antimalarial drugs. This mini-review explores the potential of plant extracts and isolated natural products as antimalarial agents, focusing on in vitro studies conducted in the last five years (2018-2022).
Review
Infectious Diseases
Kasem Kulkeaw
Summary: This article summarizes current in vitro hepatic models and tools for assaying antimalarial drug activity. While primary human cells are more physiologically relevant, they face limitations. Advances in stem cell technologies and multidimensional culture provide new avenues for modeling human infectious diseases.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura Alejandra Ricaurte-Contreras, Andrea Lovera, Darwin Andres Moreno-Perez, Michel David Bohorquez, Carlos Fernando Suarez, Elizabeth Gutierrez-Vasquez, Laura Cuy-Chaparro, Diego Garzon-Ospina, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo
Summary: This study revealed that PvMSP10 can bind to adult human reticulocytes but not to normocytes. Two specific 20-residue-long regions were found to inhibit the binding of rPvMSP10-C to reticulocytes and rosette formation. These findings provide new insights into the interaction between PvMSP10 and its target cells, suggesting their potential use in developing a P. vivax antimalarial vaccine.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Biology
Oscar Hernan Rodriguez-Bejarano, Catalina Avendano, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo
Summary: Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, is mainly transmitted by insect bites. The parasite's lifecycle includes an intracellular phase and infective forms, involving various signaling cascades and intracellular associations for recognition and internalization in host cells.
Article
Virology
Sindy P. Buitrago, Diego Garzon-Ospina
Summary: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2020 caused a global public health crisis with significant mortality rates and socio-economic burden. Studying South American genome sequences on the GISAID database revealed the genetic diversity and evolutionary mechanisms of the virus on this continent.
ARCHIVES OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
William A. Agudelo, Sebastian Ramiro Gil-Quinones, Alejandra Fonseca, Alvaro Arenas, Laura Castro, Diana Carolina Sierra-Diaz, Manuel A. Patarroyo, Paul Laissue, Carlos F. Suarez, Rodrigo Cabrera
Summary: Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a cardiac channelopathy characterized by prolonged QT interval and T-wave abnormalities, often caused by mutations in genes such as KCNQ1, KCNH2, and SCN5A. This study aimed to investigate the structural impact of compound mutations on potassium channels in severe LQTS phenotypes using molecular dynamic simulations. The findings suggest that mutant channels show moderate changes in energy and mobility, potentially influencing K+ ion flow and differentiating from wild-type channels.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jonathan Arley Salazar, Marisol Ocampo, Jeimmy Johana Castaneda-Ramirez, Jhoan Samaca, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo, Manuel Elkin Patarroyo
Summary: The study focused on characterizing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) H37Rv Rv0292 protein peptides, with a specific interest in peptide 31050, which demonstrated high binding capacity for target cells and inhibited mycobacterial entry. Interestingly, this peptide was not recognized by sera from individuals previously exposed to mycobacteria, suggesting its potential use in designing a synthetic anti-tuberculosis vaccine.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEPTIDE RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Jehymin D. Parra-Montano, Kimberly C. Mateus-Rincon, Juliana Aranguren-Borras, Mary Medrano-Robayo, Alejandro Figueredo-Lopez, Laura M. Gonzalez-Amaya, Juan D. Vega-Valderrama, Luisa F. Gonzalez-Bautista, Andrea L. Becerra-Embus, Yury Aponte-Rubio, Heliairis Alfonso-Gonzalez, Sindy P. Buitrago, Diego Garzon-Ospina
Summary: This study evaluated the presence of IgG subclasses in NWM by assessing genetic distances and phylogenetic relationships. The results suggest that there is currently not enough evidence to establish the presence of IgG subclasses in NWM.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Alejandra Ruiz-Laiton, Norela Molano-Ayala, Sebastian Garcia-Castiblanco, Angie Melissa Puentes-Orozco, Ana Carolina Falla, Milena Camargo, Leonardo Roa, Alexander Rodriguez-Lopez, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo, Catalina Avendano
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and genotype of Chlamydia psittaci in parrots confiscated in Colombia, finding a high presence of genotype A. It is the first report of endemicity of C. psittaci genotype A in captive psittacines in Colombia, emphasizing the zoonotic risk associated with keeping these birds as pets.
PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Zoology
Diego Garzon-Ospina, Sindy P. Buitrago
Summary: This study analyzed data from 38 primate genome sequences to study the evolution of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) in primates. The research found that the expansion and contraction of IGHG genes differ among different primate species, possibly related to environmental conditions and species-specific humoral immune responses. This study has important implications for understanding the evolution of the primate immune system.
Article
Microbiology
Giovanny Herrera, Juan Camilo Arboleda, Juan E. Perez-Jaramillo, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo, Juan David Ramirez, Marina Munoz
Summary: Clostridioides difficile infection disrupts the balance of the intestinal microbiome, leading to an increase in pathogens and phage populations and a decrease in beneficial microorganisms. The HCFO groups also exhibit a reduction in butyrate metabolism, an increase in virulence factors, and antibiotic resistance markers.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Virology
Milena Camargo, Laura Vega, Marina Munoz, Ricardo Sanchez, Manuel Elkin Patarroyo, Juan David Ramirez, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo
Summary: The study revealed a significant association between cervical microbiota and high-risk papillomavirus infections, with women with low viral loads exhibiting higher diversity and a greater likelihood of Lactobacillus dominance. This suggests that the abundance of Lactobacillus, diversity, and bacterial taxa enrichment play a crucial role in women with low viral loads.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Cesar Reyes, Manuel A. Patarroyo
Summary: Adjuvants play a crucial role in vaccine development by allowing the inclusion of previously discarded antigens and expanding the range of candidates. The research on adjuvant development has grown alongside the increasing knowledge of immune systems and their recognition of foreign microorganisms. Although the mechanism of action for alum-derived adjuvants is not fully understood, they have been used in human vaccines for years. The number of adjuvants approved for human use has recently increased, reflecting the efforts to interact with and stimulate the immune system. This review aims to summarize the current understanding of adjuvants, focusing on those approved for human use, their mechanism of action, and their importance in vaccine candidate formulations. The review also discusses the future prospects in this growing research field.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laura Cuy-Chaparro, Cesar Reyes, Eliana Vanessa Diaz-Guiot, Darwin Andres Moreno-Perez, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo
Summary: Bovine babesiosis is a significant tick-borne disease caused by Babesia parasites. Babesia bovis is the most severe species associated with the disease, leading to high economic losses. The traditional approach of using live attenuated vaccines against B. bovis has limitations, prompting researchers to explore alternative methodologies for vaccine production.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Richar Torres, Adriana Barreto-Santamaria, Gabriela Arevalo-Pinzon, Carolina Firacative, Beatriz L. Gomez, Patricia Escandon, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo, Julian E. Munoz
Summary: The study evaluated the antifungal activity of three synthetic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against Candida species, including the multidrug-resistant Candida auris. The AMPs showed antifungal activity against all Candida species tested and had effects on biofilm formation and cell viability in C. auris and C. albicans. The study suggests that these AMPs are potential therapeutic alternatives against important Candida species.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jessica Molina-Franky, Cesar Reyes, Yelson Alejandro Picon Jaimes, Markus Kalkum, Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo
Summary: The translation identifies the differences in the invasion mechanisms of P. vivax and P. falciparum and highlights the challenges in studying the invasion mechanism of P. vivax. It also mentions the current knowledge on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of parasite invasion and the need for developing new methods.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zaida Araujo, Jacobus H. de Waard, Milena Camargo, Juan Ernesto Lopez-Ramos, Carlos Fernandez de Larrea, Magnolia Vanegas, Manuel A. Patarroyo
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of serological response to synthetic peptides from Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens for distinguishing between active tuberculosis and latent tuberculosis infection in Warao Amerindians.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEPTIDE RESEARCH AND THERAPEUTICS
(2022)