8.03.2010
Read this issue and previous issues online.
Announcements / Press Releases
The World Malaria Day button virtual campaign [RBM] — (English)
The World Malaria Day button virtual campaign began in 2008 and is a collaborative initiative with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership. It can be displayed on all websites, blogs and social networking profiles. The aim of this campaign is to have the button displayed on as many websites as possible by World Malaria Day (April 25th 2010). By clicking on the button, visitors are directed to both to the World Malaria Day civil society website (www.worldmalariaday.org) and RBM’s World Malaria Day homepage (www.rollbackmalaria.org//worldmalariaday).
Please take the time to support this initiative by downloading and displaying the World Malaria Day Button on your website. You can get the appropriate code at http://www.worldmalariaday.org/add_button_en.cfm...
Global Fund report says malaria deaths can drop by 2015 [RBM] — (English)
Malaria may be eliminated as a public health problem within a decade in most countries where it is endemic, revealed the Global Fund's 2010 Results Report that was released today. These projections are based on the assumption that current rate of scaling up of health investments will be maintained and further accelerated...
View Global Fund press release
remarks by the RBM partnership
The Global Fund 2010: Innovation and Impact, Results Summary 2010
WHO releases new malaria guidelines for treatment and procurement of medicines [WHO GMP] — (English)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is releasing new guidelines for the treatment of malaria, and the first ever guidance on procuring safe and efficacious anti-malarial medicines...
WHO press release
Guidelines for the treatment of malaria: second edition
Questions and Answers
Good procurement practices for artemisinin-based antimalarial medicines
Prof Awa Marie Coll-Seck, from the Roll Back Malaria partnership, live online [The Guardian blog] — (English)
Prof Awa Marie Coll-Seck, executive director of the Roll Back Malaria partnership, live online on the Katine Chronicles blog at 1pm (GMT) on Thursday, 4 March...
International Women’s Day... and malaria [Voices] — (English)
The protective role of women in the fight against malaria extends beyond the household. In endemic most countries the majority of front line health workers who treat malaria patients and give out bednets are women...
Nothing But Nets NET-Raisers 2010 [RBM] — (English)
Join the Movement: Sleep Out to End Malaria...
8.03.2010
{title} [{articlesource}] — ({language})
{description}...
7.03.2010
{title} [{articlesource}] — ({language})
{description}...
6.03.2010
{title} [{articlesource}] — ({language})
{description}...
5.03.2010
{title} [{articlesource}] — ({language})
{description}...
4.03.2010
{title} [{articlesource}] — ({language})
{description}...
3.03.2010
{title} [{articlesource}] — ({language})
{description}...
2.03.2010 and previous
{title} [{articlesource}] — ({language})
{description}...
Articles requiring subscription
Conflict-affected displaced persons need to benefit more from HIV and malaria national strategic plans and Global Fund grants [Conflict and Health, Volume 4] — (English)
For NSPs, strong and concerted advocacy at global, regional and country levels needs to occur to successfully ensure that affected populations are included in their plans. It is essential for their inclusion to occur if we are to reach the stated goal of universal access and the Millennium Development Goals...
Design of Malaria Diagnostic Criteria for the Sysmex XE-2100 Hematology Analyzer [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 402-411 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0464] — (English)
Thick film, the standard diagnostic procedure for malaria, is not always ordered promptly. A failsafe diagnostic strategy using an XE-2100 analyzer is proposed, and for this strategy, malaria diagnostic models for the XE-2100 were developed and tested for accuracy. Two hundred eighty-one samples were distributed into Plasmodium vivax, P. falciparum, and acute febrile syndrome groups for model construction. Model validation was performed using 60% of malaria cases and a composite control group of samples from AFS and healthy participants from endemic and non-endemic regions. For P. vivax, two observer-dependent models (accuracy = 95.3–96.9%), one non–observer-dependent model using built-in variables (accuracy = 94.7%), and one non–observer-dependent model using new and built-in variables (accuracy = 96.8%) were developed. For P. falciparum, two non–observer-dependent models (accuracies = 85% and 89%) were developed. These models could be used by health personnel or be integrated as a malaria alarm for the XE-2100 to prompt early malaria microscopic diagnosis...
Automated Detection of Malaria-Associated Pseudoeosinophilia and Abnormal WBC Scattergram by the Sysmex XE-2100 Hematology Analyzer: A Clinical Study with 1,801 Patients and Real-Time Quantitative PCR Analysis in Vivax Malaria-Endemic Area [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 412-414 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0560] — (English)
We suggest that clinical hematology laboratories using the XE-2100 analyzer should be aware of such specific parameters, even with the absence of a clinical request...
Insecticide-Treated Nets Can Reduce Malaria Transmission by Mosquitoes Which Feed Outdoors [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 415-419 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0579] — (English)
We adapt an established mathematical model of mosquito behavior and malaria transmission to illustrate how ITNs can achieve communal suppression of malaria transmission exposure, even where mosquito evade them and personal protection is modest. We also review recent reports from Tanzania to show that conventional mosquito behavior measures can underestimate the potential of ITNs because they ignore the importance of human movements...
The SYBR Green I Malaria Drug Sensitivity Assay: Performance in Low Parasitemia Samples [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 398-401 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0417] — (English)
Validation of the sensitivity of the SYBR Green I in vitro test against an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based drug sensitivity assay. Our results suggest that the SYBR Green I assay is a fast and inexpensive malaria drug screening assay for laboratory use. However, because of its lack of sensitivity in whole blood samples its usefulness for testing clinical samples may be limited...
Contribution of Integrated Campaign Distribution of Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets to Coverage of Target Groups and Total Populations in Malaria-Endemic Areas in Madagascar [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 420-425 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0597] — (English)
In October 2007, Madagascar conducted a nationwide integrated campaign to deliver measles vaccination, mebendazole, and vitamin A to children six months to five years of age. In 59 of the 111 districts, long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) were delivered to children less than five years of age in combination with the other interventions. A community-based, cross-sectional survey assessed LLIN ownership and use six months post-campaign during the rainy season. LLIN ownership was analyzed by wealth quintile to assess equity. In the 59 districts, 76.8% of households possessed at least one LLIN from any source and 56.4% of households possessed a campaign net. Equity of campaign net ownership was evident. Post-campaign, the LLIN use target of 80% by children less than five years of age and a high level of LLIN use (69%) by pregnant women were attained. Targeted LLIN distribution further contributed to total population coverage (60%) through use of campaign nets by all age groups...
Rapid Dissemination of Newly Introduced Plasmodium vivax Genotypes in South Korea [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 426-432 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0245] — (English)
Understanding genetic variation patterns of the parasite may help to analyze trends and assess extent of endemic malaria in South Korea...
Significance of Travel to Rural Areas as a Risk Factor for Malarial Anemia in an Urban Setting [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 391-397 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0047] — (English)
Control of severe malaria in an urban setting may be complicated by Plasmodium infections acquired elsewhere. Epidemiologic studies of urban malaria in low transmission settings should take travel history into account...
A Controlled Trial to Assess the Effect of Quinine, Chloroquine, Amodiaquine, and Artesunate on Loa loa Microfilaremia [Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 82(3), 2010, pp. 379-385 doi:10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0573] — (English)
No significant change in the loads was recorded in any of the treatment groups. A comprehensive review of the effects of antimalarial drugs against filariae is also provided...
Wash resistance and residual efficacy of long-lasting polyester netting coated with α-cypermethrin (Interceptor) against malaria-transmitting mosquitoes in Assam, northeast India [Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Volume 104, Issue 4, April 2010, Pages 273-278] — (English)
There was virtual disappearance of A. minimus in Interceptor net villages in contrast to the untreated net intervention and the no-net control. Contact cone bioassay tests revealed 100% mortality in the A. minimus group of mosquito species in the community using the Interceptor net, which was consistent during the follow-up monitoring period (October 2006 to April 2007) in field conditions. Similar levels of mortality were observed in laboratory-washed nets compared with unwashed nets, and wash resistance was consistent even after the 20th serial wash at fortnightly intervals. Community compliance and acceptance of the Interceptor net was high, with decreased nuisance due to biting mosquitoes and other household insect pests being reported...
Doxycycline-chloroquine vs. doxycycline-placebo for malaria prophylaxis in nonimmune soldiers: a double-blind randomized field trial in sub-Saharan Africa [Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 104, Issue 4, April 2010, Pages 290-297] — (English)
Our study was the first randomized field trial to assess a doxycycline-chloroquine combination as malaria prophylaxis and showed no significant decrease of overall tolerability of the combination compared with doxycycline alone. Our results showed that a doxycycline-chloroquine combination could be a safe combination for malaria chemoprophylaxis...
An efficient approach to the production of vaccines against the malaria parasite [Methods Mol Biol. 2010;607:73-83] — (English)
In malaria vaccine research, one of the major obstacles has been the difficulty of expressing recombinant malarial proteins and it is mainly due to the lack of an efficient methodology for the synthesis of sufficient quantity of quality proteins. We demonstrate that the wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis system can be applied for the successful production of leading malaria vaccine candidate antigens and, thus, prove that it may be a key tool for malaria vaccine research...
An Autopsy Case of Sudden Unexplained Death Caused by Malaria [Journal of Forensic Sciences, 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01328.x] — (English)
This fatal case is presented to remind the forensic pathologist of the possibility of malaria as a cause of sudden unexplained death in malaria-endemic regions. In the present case, histopathological examination demonstrated the presence of parasitized red blood cells with malarial pigment in the blood capillaries in the brain, myocardium, pericardium, lungs, kidneys, liver, and the spleen. Cerebral malaria with acute renal insufficiency or pulmonary edema with an acute respiratory distress syndrome might have been the cause of death...
Moving toward hematological predictors of disease severity in malaria: Going with the flow [American Journal of Hematology, 10.1002/ajh.21690] — (English)
...
Cerebral malaria in the absence of the inflammasome [Eur J Immunol. 2010 Mar 3;40(3):587-588] — (English)
A major complication after infection with Plasmodium parasites is a neurovascular syndrome termed cerebral malaria. As the pathogenesis is unclear, in this issue, Reimer et al. investigate a role for Nlrp3, a member of the Nod-like receptor family, in disease development. Nlrp3 regulates the inflammasome, a molecular platform that activates caspase-1, leading to the release of IL-1 and the induction of inflammatory responses. The authors show that Nlrp3-/- mice infected with a lethal strain of Plasmodium parasites survived significantly longer than wild-type mice. Surprisingly, mice deficient in genes that are known to function downstream of Nlrp3, such as ASC, caspase-1 or the IL-1 receptor, were as susceptible as wild-type mice. Although the mechanism underlying the phenotype in Nlrp3-/- mice remains unknown, these results indicate that the inflammasome and IL-1 are dispensable for the induction of experimental cerebral malaria...
Group-based citizenship in the acceptance of indoor residual spraying (IRS) for malaria control in Mozambique [Social Science & Medicine, doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.020 ] — (English)
We discuss the implications of this ‘passive’ form of compliance for the acceptability and sustainability of malaria control and other public health programmes...
Bottleneck effects on vaccine-candidate antigen diversity of malaria parasites in Thailand [Vaccine, doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.02.062] — (English)
These results suggest a two-pronged strategy for malaria eradication: (1) strenuous non-vaccine control measures that will cause a severe population bottleneck in the parasite; and (2) a subsequent local vaccine focused on one or a few locally occurring alleles at antigen-encoding loci...
The Puf-family RNA-binding protein PfPuf2 regulates sexual development and sex differentiation in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum [JHournal of Cell Soence, doi: 10.1242/jcs.059824 ] — (English)
These findings suggest that in this early branch of eukaryotes the function of PfPuf2 is consistent with the ancestral function of suppressing differentiation proposed for Puf-family proteins...
Hematological predictors of increased severe anemia in Kenyan children coinfected with Plasmodium falciparum and HIV-1 [American Journal of Hematology, DOI 10.1002/ajh.21653] — (English)
Thus, malaria/HIV-1 coinfection is characterized by more profound anemia and increased mortality, with acquisition of monocytic pigment having the most detrimental impact on Hb levels...
A flow cytometry-based assay for measuring invasion of red blood cells by Plasmodium falciparum [American Journal of Hematology, DOI 10.1002/ajh.21642] — (English)
We have established a flow cytometry-based method for simultaneously calculating both the parasitemia and the number of multiply-infected erythrocytes. Staining with the DNA-specific dye SYBR Green I allows quantitation of parasite invasion at the ring stage of parasite development. We discuss in vitro and in vivo applications and limitations of this method in relation to the study of parasite invasion...
Laboratory evaluation of traditionally used plant-based insect repellent against the malaria vector Anopheles arabiensis Patton (Diptera: Culicidae) [Parasitology Research, DOI 10.1007/s00436-010-1797-y] — (English)
At the end of the day, traditionally used plant-based insect repellents could be viable safer alternative sources for chemical insect repellents...
Decreased in vitro susceptibility of Plasmodium falciparum Isolates to artesunate, mefloquine, chloroquine and quinine in Cambodia from 2001 to 2007 [Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. doi:10.1128/AAC.01304-09] — (English)
This study describes the results of antimalarial in vitro susceptibility assays and molecular polymorphisms of Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Cambodia. The samples were collected from patients enrolled in therapeutic efficacy studies (TES) conducted by the Cambodian National Malaria Control Program for the routine efficacy monitoring of artemisinin-based combination therapy or ACT (artesunate-mefloquine and artemether-lumefantrine combinations)...
A minimal role for the circumsporozoite protein in the induction of sterile immunity by vaccination with live rodent malaria sporozoites [Infect. Immun. doi:10.1128/IAI.01415-09] — (English)
The data demonstrated that this role was minor because sterile immunity was obtained irrespective of the origin of the CSP expressed by the parasites in this model of protection. This was obtained through a single transient exposure of the host to the immunizing parasites (pre-erythrocytic and erythrocytic), a much smaller dose than required for immunization with radiation attenuated sporozoites...
Immunization with VAR2CSA-DBL5 recombinant protein elicits broadly cross-reactive antibodies to placental-type Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes [Infect. Immun. doi:10.1128/IAI.00410-09] — (English)
These findings demonstrate that the major PfEMP1 variant expressed by placental isolates exposes strain-transcendent epitopes that can be targeted by vaccination and may have application for pregnancy malaria vaccine development...
Pyrimethamine induces oxidative stress in P. yoelii 17XL-infected mice: a novel immunomodulatory mechanism of action for an old antimalarial drug? [Experimental Parasitology, doi:10.1016/j.exppara.2010.02.013 ] — (English)
Our results indicate that P. yoelii 17XL reduces oxidative stress in infected cells, while PYR induces it, which is associated with increased parasite elimination. Thus, it is possible that oxidative stress generated by pyrimethamine is also involved in its immunomodulatory mechanism of action...
Attracting, trapping and killing disease-transmitting mosquitoes using odor-baited stations -The Ifakara Odor-Baited Stations [Parasites & Vectors 2010, 3:12doi:10.1186/1756-3305-3-12] — (English)
The Ifakara OBS is efficacious against disease-carrying mosquitoes including the malaria vector, An. arabiensis and Culicine vectors of filarial worms and arboviruses. It can be used simultaneously as a trap and as a contamination or killing station, meaning most mosquitoes which escape trapping would leave when already contaminated and die shortly afterwards. This technique has potential to complement current vector control methods, by targeting mosquitoes in places other than human dwellings, but its effectiveness in the field will require cheap, long-lasting and easy-to-use mosquito lures...
Implementing intermittent preventive treatment in infants [The Lancet, Volume 375, Issue 9709, 9 January 2010-15 January 2010, Page 121 ] — (English)
We welcome the finding that Intermittent Preventive Treatment in infants (IPTi) has a significant effect on morbidity (Oct 31, p 1533). The drug used, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, does not seem to have negative interactions with routine childhood immunisations, its cost is low, and the intervention's cost-effectiveness ratio is highly attractive. An important operational question is how to scale up its implementation along with the Expanded Programme of Immunizations (EPI)...
Make a link to our website!
Put the World Malaria Day Button on your website