The use of the polymerase chain reaction for more sensitive detection of <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em> (Publications)
positive for P. vivax and P. malariae an underlying P. falciparum infection remained undetected by microscopy. The introduction of PCR has opened up new possibilities in malaria diagnosis and research. [...] The prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum in children and adults living in a malaria-endemic area in Papua New Guinea was determined by microscopy and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The sensitivity
Using a mobile nanopore sequencing lab for end-to-end genomic surveillance of <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em>: a feasibility study (Publications)
Genomic epidemiology holds promise for malaria control and elimination efforts, for example by informing on Plasmodium falciparum genetic diversity and prevalence of mutations conferring anti-malarial [...] drug resistance. Limited sequencing infrastructure in many malaria-endemic areas prevents the rapid generation of genomic data. To address these issues, we developed and validated assays for P. falciparum [...] resistance markers. We developed a bioinformatics workflow that allows genotyping...
The activities of current antimalarial drugs on the life cycle stages of <em>Plasmodium</em>: a comparative study with human and rodent parasites (Publications)
to alleviate symptoms of malaria in the blood stage. To overcome this critical gap, we developed assays to measure activity of antimalarials against all life stages of malaria parasites, using a diverse [...] BACKGROUND: Malaria remains a disease of devastating global impact, killing more than 800,000 people every year-the vast majority being children under the age of 5. While effective therapies are available [...] available, if malaria is to be eradicated a broader range of small molecule...
Withholding antimalarials in febrile children who have a negative result for a rapid diagnostic test (Publications)
admitted to the hospital subsequently, all with negative results for malaria tests upon admission. Two of them died, of causes other than malaria. Conclusions. Not giving antimalarial drugs in febrile children [...] Background. The availability of a rapid diagnostic test for malaria (RDTm) allows accurate diagnosis at all levels of health facilities. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the safety of [...] prospective 2-arm longitudinal study in areas of Tanzania that are...
Rapid diagnostic tests for non-malarial febrile illness in the tropics (Publications)
of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has highlighted the decreasing proportion of malaria-attributable illness in endemic areas. Unfortunately, once malaria is excluded, there are few accessible [...] pressing need for sensitive pathogen-detection-based RDTs, as have been successfully developed for malaria and dengue. Ultimately, integration of RDTs into a validated syndromic approach to tropical fevers
Immunoglobulin G subclass-specific responses against <em>Plasmodium falciparum</em> merozoite antigens are associated with control of parasitemia and... (Publications)
merozoite antigens play a role in protection from malaria, although the precise targets and mechanisms mediating immunity remain unclear. Different malaria antigens induce distinct immunoglobulin G (IgG) [...] (IgG) subclass responses, but the importance of different responses in protective immunity from malaria is not known and the factors determining subclass responses in vivo are poorly understood. We examined [...] AMA-1-specific IgG3 and MSP1-19-specific IgG1 were strongly predictive of a...
Vector Modelling - AnophelesModel R Package (Projects)
https://www.swisstph.ch/en/projects/project-detail/project/vector-modelling-anophelesmodel-r-package
for the entomological and vector control components of more complex models of malaria transmission dynamics such as OpenMalaria . Mosquito distribution and human behavior vary across geographical settings [...] Package to interface mosquito bionomics, human exposure and intervention effects with models of malaria intervention impact. The package contains an in-built entomological model of the mosquito feeding [...] n parameters. The different types of data have been extracted from field studies...
Differential expression of var gene groups is associated with morbidity caused by <em>Plasmodium falciparum </em>infection in Tanzanian children (Publications)
uncomplicated, and asymptomatic malaria. Transcripts of var group A and B genes were more abundant in patients with severe malaria than in patients with uncomplicated malaria. In general, the transcript [...] abundances of var group A and B genes were higher for children with clinical malaria than for children with asymptomatic infections. The var group C and var1-like transcript abundances were similar between
A multiplex qPCR approach for detection of <em>pfhrp2 </em>and <em>pfhrp3</em> gene deletions in multiple strain infections of <em>Plasmodium... (Publications)
The rapid and accurate diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection is an essential factor in malaria control. Currently, malaria diagnosis in the field depends heavily on using rapid diagnostic [...] blood. P. falciparum strains lacking PfHRP2, due to pfhrp2 gene deletions, are an emerging threat to malaria control programs. The novel assay described here, named qHRP2/3-del, is well suited for high-throughput
<em>Plasmodium falciparum</em> infections are associated with agglutinating antibodies to parasite-infected erythrocyte surface antigens among healthy... (Publications)
ed erythrocytes are thought to play a role in the development of naturally acquired immunity to malaria. It has been suggested that children gradually acquire immunity through the piecemeal acquisition [...] over several years of exposure. However, in a cross-sectional survey of Kenyan children before the malaria-transmission season, the proportion of children with antibodies recognizing randomly sampled VSAs [...] data from a prospective study of VSA antibodies in a group of children who...