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Read
this issue
and
previous
issues online.
11.08.2008
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Advice to
travel agents from the BMJ
[Cambridge Network - Cambridge,UK] —
(English)
Infectious disease experts on the
British Medical Journal website say
that Travel Agents should take the
opportunity to inform travellers about
malaria and the need to take
preventative medication when booking
flights to malarious areas...... |
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Malaria's
deadly bite continues
[Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,
India] — (English)
Heavy
showers over the last few days have
pushed up the monsoon death toll to
96, with six people succumbing to
malaria and fever in the last 24
hours. Malaria has claimed the highest
number of lives with 11 people dying
in the first week of August itself and
29 since June...... |
10.08.2008
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Chaka
Chaka distributes mosquito nets in
Malawi [The Southern Times
- South Africa] — (English)
Over
one million pregnant women and
children under five have become proud
beneficiaries of insecticides treated
mosquito-nets, in a campaign
spearheaded by top South African
singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka aimed at
reducing the number of people
suffering from malaria, a disease that
killed 7 000 people here last year
alone...... |
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Visiting
US Health Secretary Lauds Ethiopia's
Success in Sector [RedOrbit
- Dallas,TX,USA] — (English)
US
Secretary of Health and Human Service
Michael Leavitt disclosed on Sunday
[10 August] that US-sponsored health
projects in Ethiopia were found to be
quite successful...... |
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American
Embassy Supports the End Malaria –
Blue Ribbon Campaign in Botswana
[PR.com - Levittown,NY,USA] —
(English)
The
Student Leaders Against Malaria (SLAM)
partnership and End Malaria – Blue
Ribbon campaigns led by Mr. Tommie
Hamaluba, a computer technology
teacher from the Gaborone Senior
Secondary School (GSS) in Botswana and
teacher Mr. Bill Meyers, from the
Alexander Dawson School in Colorado,
USA grow with the support of the
Malaria Foundation International (MFI),
the Botswana Ministry of Health, and
the American Embassy. A Malaria
Education Workshop kicks off their
SLAM campaign to End Malaria...... |
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Malaria
control may soon discard chemical
sprays [DailyNewsOnline -
Dar es Salaam,United Republic of
Tanzania] — (English)
Cuba
has expressed willingness to assist
Tanzania fight malaria using
biological control, taking the country
a leap ahead from its current use of
vector control by means of sprays and
treated nets...... |
9.08.2008
8.08.2008
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CONGO:
Free anti-malaria drug campaign
gaining ground [IRINnews.org
- New York,NY,USA] — (English)
Free
anti-malaria medicine will soon become
a reality for children younger than
five and pregnant mothers after the
launch of the first phase of
countrywide trials to promote access
to the drugs in health centres,
government officials have said...... |
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Temperature Shift and Host Cell
Contact Up-Regulate Sporozoite
Expression of Plasmodium falciparum
Genes Involved in Hepatocyte Infection
[PLOS Pathogens] — (English)
Sporozoites, the infective form of the
malaria parasites Plasmodium, are
deposited in the skin by Anopheles
mosquitoes. They then find their way
to the liver where they specifically
invade hepatocytes, in which they
develop to yield another form, the
merozoite, infective to red blood
cells. Relatively little is known of
the molecular interactions during
these initial obligatory phases of the
infection. We studied the changes in
gene expression in sporozoites, from
the parasite species P. falciparum
that infects humans, in an in vitro
system where they were co-cultured
with their natural host cells, primary
human hepatocytes. The whole genome
transcriptome profiling carried out
led to the identification of 532 genes
that were up-regulated following
co-culture. This genome-wide
up-regulation of expression supports
the hypothesis that the shift from the
mosquito to the mammalian host
contributes to activate quiescent
salivary gland sporozoites into a
state of readiness for the hepatic
stages. Functional studies on four of
the up-regulated genes we identified
validated our approach as one means to
determine the repertoire of proteins
implicated during the early events in
the infection by P. falciparum, the
species responsible for the severest
forms of malaria...... |
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An
Erythrocyte Vesicle Protein Exported
by the Malaria Parasite Promotes
Tubovesicular Lipid Import from the
Host Cell Surface [PLOS
Pathogens] — (English)
Plasmodium falciparum, the most
virulent form of human malaria, causes
disease when it invades a red blood
cell. It sends proteins beyond its
borders into the host, changing the
red cell to make it a suitable
environment to live in and to interact
with the host immune system. Recent
findings have predicted that hundreds
of parasite proteins are released into
the host red cell. However, most of
these proteins have no known function.
One major challenge is to understand
what role these proteins play in
parasite growth in order to design
drugs or vaccines that block protein
function. In this study, we designed a
strategy to characterize
‘hypothetical’ proteins and use one as
an example to illustrate the
principle. We show that this protein
resides within a novel compartment
within the red cell and changes lipid
transport at the host surface to
stabilize a major nutrient pathway
formed within the human cell. In
principle, this strategy is applicable
in determining the functions of other
parasite genes involved in
pathogen–host interactions...... |
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Fresh
Hope For Malaria Vaccine By
Piggy-Backing It Onto Viruses
[Medical News Today (press release) -
UK] — (English)
Scientists have found a new method for
delivering a malaria vaccine using the
cold and pox viruses which could hold
the key to success in combating the
disease...... |
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Malaria,
most reported disease at Juaso
Hospital [Ghana News -
Accra,Ghana] — (English)
Malaria
has for the fourth consecutive year
remained the most reported disease at
the Out Patients Department (OPD) of
the Juaso District Hospital in the
Asante Akim-South District...... |
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Malaria
Claims 10 People in Nigeria's
Northwestern Katsina State
[RedOrbit - Dallas,TX,USA] — (English)
No
fewer than 10 persons have reportedly
died and several others hospitalized
as a result of malaria attack in
Katsina metropolis within the last one
week...... |
7.08.2008
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India: UN
envoy lauds $520 million boost from
World Bank to fight malaria
[UN News Centre] — (English)
The
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on
Malaria today welcomed the World
Bank’s recent announcement that it
would supply over $500 million to help
India combat malaria and other
diseases...... |
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Gains in
awareness, ownership and use of
insecticide-treated nets in Nigeria,
Senegal, Uganda and Zambia
[Malaria Journal 2008, 7:153 (7 August
2008)] — (English)
A mix
of increased demand, strengthened
commercial sector, reduced taxes and
tariffs, and programmes making ITNs
available at reduced prices resulted
in impressive gains in awareness,
ownership, and use of nets. None of
the four countries reached the
ambitious Abuja targets, but they made
substantial progress towards
them...... |
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Ethnobotanical study of some of
mosquito repellent plants in
north-eastern Tanzania
[Malaria Journal 2008, 7:152 (7 August
2008)] — (English)
The use
of plant repellents against nuisance
biting insects is common and has a
potential role as a complementary
measure for malaria vector control.
The essential oils of Ocimum suave and
Ocimum kilimandscharicum were
evaluated in this paper...... |
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Malaria
Prevention in Short-Term Travelers
[NEJM - USA] — (English)
This
Journal feature begins with a case
vignette highlighting a common
clinical problem. Evidence supporting
various strategies is then presented,
followed by a review of formal
guidelines, when they exist. The
article ends with the author's
clinical recommendations...... |
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Malaria
cannot be halted on its own
[ Environmental News - USA] —
(English)
Concentrating efforts on malaria alone
is unlikely to sustain malaria control
or achieve its eradication, say Peter
J. Hotez and David H. Molyneux in PLoS
Neglected Tropical Diseases...... |
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Burkina Faso: La vente à prix social
de moustiquaires imprégnées
[Le Pays (Ouagadougou)
via allAfrica.com] — (French)
Dans sa politique nationale de santé,
l'Etat burkinabè, par le biais du
ministère de la Santé en particulier,
a initié la vente à prix social de
moustiquaires imprégnées...... |
6.08.2008
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New
weakness found in malaria [Cordis
News - Brussels,Belgium] — (English)
European researchers have long set
their sights on tackling malaria, a
potentially deadly disease whose
spread has not been as yet stopped in
developing countries. Now, new
research has brought to light one of
the tricks the disease uses to
camouflage itself from our immune
system...... |
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Malaria
no cause for concern in the delta
[The Myanmar Times - Myanmar ] —
(English)
AN
official from the Ministry of Health
said last month that the incidence of
malaria in areas of Ayeyarwady
Division affected by cyclone Nargis
was no higher than usual...... |
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Uganda:
Health Abandons DDT in North
[New Vision (Kampala) via
allAfrica.com] — (English)
THE
health ministry is now spraying
mosquito-infested areas in northern
Uganda with ICON, an alternative to
DDT to curtail malaria...... |
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A
Randomised Trial of an Eight-Week,
Once Weekly Primaquine Regimen to
Prevent Relapse of Plasmodium vivax in
Northwest Frontier Province, Pakistan
[PLOS One] — (English)
A
practical radical treatment for vivax
malaria is essential for control and
elimination of the disease. The 8-week
PQ course is more effective at
preventing relapse than current
treatment with chloroquine alone.
Widespread use of the 8-week regimen
could make an important contribution
to reservoir reduction or regional
elimination where G6PD testing is not
available...... |
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Assessing
Antimalarial Efficacy in a Time of
Change to Artemisinin-Based
Combination Therapies: The Role of
Médecins Sans Frontières [PLOS
Medicine] — (English)
Here,
we describe the output of MSF's work
in antimalarial efficacy assessment
during the last decade, and place it
within the broader context of studies
leading to regimen change from
monotherapies to mostly artemisinin-based
combinations during a critical decade
in malaria control. We also describe
challenges and lessons learned whilst
carrying out this research and discuss
its role within antimalarial policy
change...... |
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Malaria
campaign recieves boost
[WOW - Gambia] — (English)
Iago
Vazques and Noemi Fuster, a Spanish
couple who are currently in The Gambia
as partners of Global Unification -
The Gambia, have thrown their weight
behind The Gambia’s malaria control
crusade...... |
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Uganda
Health News: Drama to fight malaria
[Wavah Broadcasting Company, Uganda -
Kampala,Uganda] — (English)
In a
bid to fight malaria in slum areas of
Kampala city, a new form of fighting
the disease through drama has been
launched...... |
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Free
malaria treatment to reduce mortality
— IMONGAN [Vanguard -
Apapa,Lagos,Nigeria] — (English)
THE Edo
State Commissioner of Health, Dr
Wilson Imongan explained yesterday
that the state government approved the
free anti-malaria treatment for
pregnant women and children in order
to drastically reduce what he
described as the unacceptable
prevalence of maternal and child
mortality rate in the state...... |
5.08.2008
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Bill
Clinton Announces AIDS, Malaria
Initiatives [National
Geographic - Washington,DC,USA] —
(English)
Hundreds of thousands of deaths caused
by AIDS and malaria will be averted
with better treatment programs, former
U.S. President Bill Clinton said
yesterday in announcements in two West
African nations...... |
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Human
malaria jab tests nearing
[BBC News - UK] — (English)
A type
of malaria vaccine for humans is to be
tested, following the success of
trials undertaken with animals...... |
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Research
Exposes New Target For Malaria Drugs
[Science Daily - USA] — (English)
The
malaria parasite has waged a
successful guerrilla war against the
human immune system for eons, but a
study in this week's Journal of
Biological Chemistry has exposed one
of the tricks malaria uses to hide
from the immune proteins, which may
aid in future drug development...... |
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AFGHANISTAN: Far fewer people seeking
malaria treatment - Health Ministry
[IRINnews.org - New
York,NY,USA] — (English)
The
number of people seeking malaria
treatment in Afghanistan has declined
significantly over the past six
months, the Ministry of Public Health
(MoPH) has said...... |
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Fast-growing malaria strain found in
highlands [Malaysia Star -
Malaysia] — (English)
A
strain of the malaria virus that
multiplies rapidly has been discovered
in Sarawak and the health authorities
are very worried...... |
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Candolim
primary health centre registers 32% of
falciparum malaria cases [Navhind
Times - Panjim,India] — (English)
Acknowledging that nearly one-third of
the malaria cases recorded in the
state pertaining to plasmodium
falciparum are concentrated in the
area under the jurisdiction of the
Candolim primary health centre, the
state director of the National
Vector-Borne Diseases Control
Programme, Dr Deepak Kabadi said that
the situation has occurred because of
six to seven major construction
projects taken up in this area...... |
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Insecticide-treated bednets save lives
in Ethiopia [ReliefWeb -
UK] — (English)
The
rainy season is well underway in much
of Ethiopia, but while the rains bring
hope to rural communities, they also
create ideal breeding conditions for
malaria-carrying mosquitoes...... |
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Tierversuche mit neuem Malaria-Impfstoff
erfolgreich [Handicap Net -
Germany] — (English)
Eine
neue Art Malaria-Impfstoff für
Menschen soll im nächsten Jahr zuerst
in kleinem Rahmen gestestet werden...... |
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[] — (English)
...... |
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[] — (English)
...... |
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[] — (English)
...... |
Articles requiring
subscription
Pre-departure
and Post-arrival Management of P.
falciparum Malaria in Refugees Relocating
from Sub-Saharan Africa to the United
States [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg.,
79(2), 2008, pp. 141-146] — (English)
In response
to increasing numbers of refugees
originating in sub-Saharan Africa
guidelines for the management of malaria
in refugees migrating to the United States
have been broadened and updated. The
guidelines are based on available
evidence-based literature and recent
public health experience. These guidelines
were critically reviewed, assessed, and
approved by multiple National and State
entities as well as outside experts. These
consensus guidelines recommend that
sub-Saharan African refugees relocating to
the United States receive presumptive
treatment of P. falciparum malaria before
departure or during the domestic refugee
medical screening after arrival.
Presumptive therapy is not currently
recommended for either non-falciparum
malaria or for refugees relocating from
areas outside sub-Saharan Africa...
Relationship
Between Exposure, Clinical Malaria, and
Age in an Area of Changing Transmission
Intensity [Am. J. Trop. Med.
Hyg., 79(2), 2008, pp. 185-191] —
(English)
We
reconstructed 16 years (1991–2006) of
pediatric hospital surveillance data and
infection prevalence surveys from a
circumscribed geographic area on the
Kenyan coast. The incidence of clinical
malaria remained high, despite sustained
reductions in exposure to infection.
However, the age group experiencing the
clinical attacks of malaria increased
steadily as exposure declined and may
precede changes in the number of episodes
in an area with declining transmission...
Microscopy
Underestimates the Frequency of Plasmodium
Falciparum Infection in Symptomatic
Individuals in a Low Transmission Highland
Area [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg.,
79(2), 2008, pp. 173-177] — (English)
In an area
with unstable malaria transmission,
detection of Plasmodium falciparum
infection in 379 symptomatic individuals
was assessed by microscopy and three
polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
methodologies. P. falciparum infection was
detected in 25% of patients by microscopy,
37% by nested PCR, 41% by merozoite
surface protein-2 (MSP-2) PCR, and 45% by
a ligase detection reaction-fluorescent
microsphere assay (LDR-FMA)...
Effects of
Plasmodium falciparum Mixed Infections on
In Vitro Antimalarial Drug Tests and
Genotyping [Am. J. Trop. Med.
Hyg., 79(2), 2008, pp. 178-184] —
(English)
We studied
the effects of mixed parasite populations
containing various ratios of parasites
resistant and sensitive to chloroquine on
outcomes of drug tests and how ratios of
parasite mixtures correlated with
genotypes using polymerase chain
reaction–based methods. Our results show
that a mixture with a resistant population
as low as 10% could greatly impact a drug
test outcome. None of the genotyping
methods could reliably detect minor DNA
alleles at 10%. Mixed infection presents a
serious problem for drug tests, and
genotyping using microsatellite or other
methods may not reliably reflect true
ratios of alleles...
Fièvres et paludisme chez les enfants de 0
à 5 ans au Bénin : avons-nous de vraies
statistiques ?
[Cahiers d'études et de recherches
francophones / Santé] — (French)
La prise en charge adéquate d’une fièvre
et du paludisme, souvent liés chez
l’enfant, passe par une implication des
perceptions et représentations des
parents, qui permettrait de mieux
connaître la vraie participation du
paludisme aux épisodes fébriles à partir
d’études dans deux villages et d’y opposer
des stratégies conséquentes...
Efficacité de l’artéméther dans le
traitement du paludisme simple à
Plasmodium falciparum chez l’enfant de 6 à
60 mois à Bangui (Centrafrique)
[Cahiers d'études et de recherches
francophones / Santé] — (French)
L’artéméther était bien toléré. Cette
molécule constitue une alternative
efficace et sûre pour le traitement du
paludisme simple à P. falciparum de
l’enfant en RCA...
Sensibilité in vitro de P. falciparum à la
quinine, l’artésunate et la chloroquine à
Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire)
[Cahiers d'études et de recherches
francophones / Santé] — (French)
Le paludisme constitue en Côte d’Ivoire un
grave problème de santé publique. La prise
en charge thérapeutique de la maladie se
heurte à la résistance du parasite à la
plupart des antipaludiques, en particulier
dans le sud du pays. Aujourd’hui, la mise
en place d’un système de surveillance
régulière de la sensibilité de Plasmodium
falciparum s’impose à l’ensemble des
antipaludiques mais surtout aux dérivés de
l’artémisinine...
Influenza
virosomes: a flu jab for malaria?
[Trends in Parasitology, 2008 Aug 4] —
(English)
The major
attractions of vaccines based on viral
carriers (vectors) include their
immunogenicity without adjuvant and the
relative simplicity of their associated
production processes in comparison with
recombinant protein-based approaches. Two
influenza virosomal vaccines – for
influenza and hepatitis A – are registered
for human use, and the virosome platform
is being evaluated as the carrier for a
Plasmodium falciparum vaccine that targets
both the exo-erythrocytic and erythrocytic
stages. Although safe and immunogenic, the
first such virosome-based malaria vaccine
showed no protection in a Phase IIa
clinical trial. Nevertheless, the
established safety profile of virosomes
and their flexibility with regard to
antigen delivery – allowing for antibody
induction via the conjugation of peptides
and T-cell induction via encapsulation –
indicate that they warrant further
exploration...
Pregnancy-Associated Malaria Affects
Toll-Like Receptor Ligand-Induced Cytokine
Responses in Cord Blood [The
Journal of Infectious Diseases
2008;198:000–000 ] — (English)
P.
falciparum infection history during
pregnancy appears to have a pronounced
effect on neonatal innate immune
responses. The observed effects may have
profound implications for the outcome of
newly encountered infections in early
life...
Accumulation
of CVIET Pfcrt allele of Plasmodium
falciparum in placenta of pregnant women
living in an urban area of Dakar, Senegal
[Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy,
doi:10.1093/jac/dkn299] — (English)
Of 692
women recruited at delivery, 72 had
placental malaria. Two Pfcrt exon 2
genotypes were found, and 86% of the
placentas had monoallelelic CVIET
infection compared with 39% that had
peripheral blood infection. Mixed parasite
populations of CVIET/CVMNK occurred in 53%
of the peripheral blood samples but only
in 7% of the infected placentas. This
selection of CVIET in placenta was not
related to a decreased polymorphism of the
parasites, as a large diversity of MSA1
and MSA2 was found in both placenta and
venous blood. This diversity confirms that
a multiplicity of circulation isolates can
occur at low parasite transmission. msp1
and msp2 genotyping revealed mostly
distinct populations of parasites in
venous and placental blood...
In Africa,
One in Four Survivors of Cerebral Malaria
Have Long-term Deficits
[Neurology Today:Volume 8(14)17 July 2008p
30] — (English)
At two-year
follow-up testing, 26.3 percent of
children with cerebral malaria had
cognitive deficits in one or more areas
compared with 12.5 percent of children who
had had uncomplicated malaria and 7.6
percent of asymptomatic children in the
community, said Michael J. Boivin, MD,
professor of neurology at Michigan State
University, East Lansing. He described the
findings at the AAN annual meeting here in
April...
Evolutionary
biology: parasite, know thyself
[Curr Biol. 2008 Aug 5;18(15):R655-7] —
(English)
Studies of
sex allocation provide some of the best
evidence for Darwinian adaptation in
nature. A new study of malaria parasites
provides striking support for this
cornerstone of evolutionary biology, with
important implications for both
evolutionary and medical biology...
Malaria and
bacterial sepsis: Similar mechanisms of
endothelial apoptosis and its prevention
in vitro [Critical Care
Medicine, 2008 Aug 1] — (English)
These in
vitro results show how neutrophils can
contribute to endothelial damage in
malaria and in sepsis, both by their
secretory products and by binding to
intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on
endothelial cells. The presence of similar
pathomechanisms suggests that similar
antiapoptotic strategies may offer
potential benefit in malaria and in
sepsis...
Mosquitocidal
vaccines: a neglected addition to malaria
and dengue control strategies
[Trends Parasitol. 2008 Aug 2] — (English)
The
transmission of vector-borne diseases is
dependent upon the ability of the vector
to survive for longer than the period of
development of the pathogen within the
vector. One means of reducing mosquito
lifespan, and thereby reducing their
capacity to transmit diseases, is to
target mosquitoes with vaccines. Here, the
principle behind mosquitocidal vaccines is
described, their potential impact in
malaria and dengue control is modeled and
the current research that could make these
vaccines a reality is reviewed. Mosquito
genome data, combined with modern
molecular techniques, can be exploited to
overcome the limited advances in this
field. Given the large potential benefit
to vector-borne disease control, research
into the development of mosquitocidal
vaccines deserves a high profile...
Detection of
the Dihydrofolate Reductase–164L Mutation
in Plasmodium falciparum Infections from
Malawi by Heteroduplex Tracking Assay
[Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 78(6), 2008, pp.
892-894] — (English)
Standard
polymerase chain reaction methods often
cannot detect drug-resistance mutations in
Plasmodium falciparum infections if the
mutation is present in 20% of the
parasites. A heteroduplex tracking assay
was developed that can detect
dihydrofolate reductase 164-L mutations in
variants representing 1% of the parasites
in an individual host. Using this assay,
we confirmed the presence of the mutation
in P. falciparum infections in Malawi...
Plasmodium
falciparum-free merozoites and infected
RBCs distinctly affect soluble CD40 ligand-mediated
maturation of immature monocyte-derived
dendritic cells [J Leukoc Biol.
2008 Jul;84(1):244-54] — (English)
Free
plasmodium merozoites released from the
parasitized hepatocytes and erythrocytes
represent a transitory, extracellular
stage in its mammalian host. In this
study, we compared the effect of
Plasmodium falciparum-free merozoites with
infected RBCs (iRBCs) on the maturation of
human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs)
in vitro...
The health
impact of polyparasitism in humans: are we
under-estimating the burden of parasitic
diseases? [Parasitology (2008),
135:783-794] — (English)
Parasitic
infections are widespread throughout the
tropics and sub-tropics, and infection
with multiple parasite species is the norm
rather than the exception. Despite the
ubiquity of polyparasitism, its public
health significance has been inadequately
studied. Here we review available studies
investigating the nutritional and
pathological consequences of multiple
infections with Plasmodium and helminth
infection and, in doing so, encourage a
reassessment of the disease burden caused
by polyparasitism. The available evidence
is conspicuously sparse but is suggestive
that multiple human parasite species may
have an additive and/or multiplicative
impact on nutrition and organ pathology.
Existing studies suffer from a number of
methodological limitations and adequately
designed studies are clearly necessary.
Current methods of estimating the
potential global morbidity due to
parasitic diseases underestimate the
health impact of polyparasitism, and
possible reasons for this are presented.
As international strategies to control
multiple parasite species are rolled-out,
there is a number of options to
investigate the complexity of
polyparasitism, and it is hoped that that
the parasitological resarch community will
grasp the opportunity to understand better
the health of polyparasitism in humans...
Prepared in cooperation
with European Commission HIV/AIDS in South
Africa. |
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