Mefloquine at the crossroads? Implications for malaria chemoprophylaxis in Europa [Commentary] (Publications)
mefloquine. Some malaria prevention advisors question the scientific basis for the restrictions and suggest that this cost-effective, anti-malarial drug will be displaced as a first-line anti-malaria medication [...] the new recommendations for malaria prophylaxis that have been adapted by Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy where chemoprophylaxis use is restricted to high-risk malaria-endemic areas. [...] Since its introduction to the market in 1985, mefloquine has been used for malaria...
Immuno-gold silver staining assays on capillary-driven microfluidics for the detection of malaria antigens (Publications)
a lack of highly sensitive malaria RDTs that can detect low antigen concentration at the onset of infection. Here, we present a strategy to improve the sensitivity of malaria RDTs by using capillary-driven [...] al to the concentration of antigen in a sample. We illustrate this method using the recombinant malaria antigen Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich-protein 2 (rPfHRP2) spiked in human serum. This antigen [...] min, which is approaching the desired sensitivity needed in the Target...
Hemozoin-catalyzed precipitation polymerization as an assay for malaria diagnosis (Publications)
Methods to diagnose malaria are of paramount interest to eradicate the disease. Current methods have severe limitations, as they are either costly or not sensitive enough to detect low levels of parasitemia [...] increase is proportional to the concentration of hemozoin, with a detection limit of 0.85 ng mL(-1). Malaria parasites in human blood can be detected down to 10 infected red blood cells muL(-1). The assay could
High cure rates and tolerability of artesunate-amodiaquine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in... (Publications)
BACKGROUND: The Tanzanian National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) and its partners have been implementing regular therapeutic efficacy studies (TES) to monitor the performance of different drugs used [...] mefantrine, which is the first-line anti-malarial for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria. Data on the performance of other artemisinin-based combinations is urgently needed to support timely [...] parasitological responses of ASAQ and DP for directly observed treatment of...
Insufficient sensitivity of laser desorption-time of flight mass spectrometry-based detection of hemozoin for malaria screening (Publications)
detection of hemozoin was assessed for its performance characteristics as a rapid screening test for malaria. In spite of good specificity of > 95%, poor sensitivity of 80.2% for microscopically positive samples
Safety profile of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine in infants and children: additional data from a phase III randomized controlled trial in sub-Saharan... (Publications)
RTS,S/AS01 (R3R) or non-malaria control vaccine (C3C), or 3 RTS,S/AS01 doses plus control (R3C). Aggregate safety data were reviewed by a multi-functional team. Severe malaria with Blantyre Coma Score [...] controlled trial (NCT00866619) in sub-Saharan Africa showed RTS,S/AS01 vaccine efficacy against malaria. We now present in-depth safety results from this study. 8922 children (enrolled at 5-17 months)
Highly heterogeneous residual malaria risk in western Thailand (Publications)
substantial and poses a challenge for the national malaria elimination program. To determine epidemiological parameters as well as risk factors for malaria infection in western Thailand, we carried out a [...] Over the past decades, the malaria burden in Thailand has substantially declined. Most infections now originate from the national border regions. In these areas, the prevalence of asymptomatic infections [...] provinces on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Blood samples from 999 local...
Lysyl-tRNA synthetase as a drug target in malaria and cryptosporidiosis (Publications)
Malaria and cryptosporidiosis, caused by apicomplexan parasites, remain major drivers of global child mortality. New drugs for the treatment of malaria and cryptosporidiosis, in particular, are of high [...] PfKRS1 and C. parvum KRS (CpKRS). In vivo proof of concept was established in an SCID mouse model of malaria, after oral administration (ED90 = 1.5 mg/kg, once a day for 4 d). Furthermore, we successfully [...] HsKRS. Our work validates apicomplexan KRSs as promising targets for the...