15.03.2010
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Announcements / Press Releases
RBM Launches First Edition of its Progress & Impact Report Series [RBM] — (English)
The Roll Back Malaria Progress & Impact Series is a collection of comprehensive reports benchmarking progress towards the RBM 2010 goals. Launched in March 2010, the series will be developed through 2011 and will aggregate and analyze data on malaria burden, new tools and strategies, and intervention coverage - highlighting accomplishments and driving future action and investment...
"Malaria - Blood, Sweat and Tears": Photo Exhibition at UN New York for World Malaria Day 2010 [RBM] — (English)
Photographs of Adam Nadel depicting the impact of malaria and progress made against the disease will be exhibited from March 15th to May 5th at the UN Head Quarters in New York...
EARN Joint partners and NMCP managers consultation on support for implementation of Country roadmaps; Malaria Programme reviews; updating of Strategic Plans and Evaluation of country achievements on 2010 goals and targets [RBM EARN] — (English)
The meeting is rescheduled. More info coming soon...
Barrier in Mosquito Midgut Protects Invading Pathogens [National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) News Release] — (English)
Scientists studying the Anopheles gambiae mosquito – the main vector of malaria – have found that when the mosquito takes a blood meal, that act triggers two enzymes to form a network of crisscrossing proteins around the ingested blood. The formation of this protein barrier, the researchers found, is part of the normal digestive process that allows so-called healthy or commensal gut bacteria to grow without activating mosquito immune responses. But there is a downside: The barrier also prevents the mosquito’s immune defense system from clearing any disease-causing agents that may have slipped into the blood meal, such as the Plasmodium malaria parasite, which in turn can be passed on to humans...
Eastern African Roll Back Malaria Network (EARN): Senior Health Specialist [RBM] — (English)
Vacancy No: E-VN-2010-000333; Duty Station: Nairobi; Country: Kenya; Job Level: L-5; Position#: 00066836; Application Close: 19-Mar-10...
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Articles requiring subscription
A Peroxidase/Dual Oxidase System Modulates Midgut Epithelial Immunity in Anopheles gambiae [Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1184008] — (English)
Extracellular matrices in diverse biological systems are cross-linked by dityrosine covalent bonds catalyzed by the peroxidase/oxidase system. We show that a peroxidase, secreted by the Anopheles gambiae midgut, and dual oxidase form a dityrosine network that decreases gut permeability to immune elicitors. This network protects the microbiota by preventing activation of epithelial immunity. It also provides a suitable environment for malaria parasites to develop within the midgut lumen without inducing nitric oxide synthase expression. Disruption of this barrier results in strong and effective pathogen-specific immune responses...
Malaria treatment should begin with parasitological diagnosis where possible, says WHO [BMJ 2010;340:c1402 ] — (English)
New guidance on the treatment of malaria released by the World Health Organization on 9 March recommends parasitological testing before treatment begins and adds a new artemisinin based combination treatment to the list of prescribed drugs...
The demographic histories of the M and S molecular forms of Anopheles gambiae s.s. [Mol Biol Evol. 2010 Mar 11] — (English)
Anopheles gambiae is a primary vector of Plasmodium falciparum, a human malaria parasite that causes over a million deaths each year in sub-Saharan Africa. Population genetic tests have been employed to detect natural selection at suspected An. gambiae anti-malaria genes, but these tests have generally been compromised by the lack of demographically correct null models. Here, we used a coalescent simulation approach within a maximum likelihood framework to fit population growth, bottleneck and migration models to polymorphism data from Cameroonian An. gambiae. The best-fit models for both the 'M' and 'S' molecular forms of An. gambiae included ancient population growth and a high rate of migration from an unsampled subpopulation. After correcting for differences in effective population size, our models suggest that the molecular forms expanded at different times, and both expansions significantly pre-date the advent of agriculture. We show that correcting null models for demography increases the power to detect natural selection in An. gambiae...
Infection-related stillbirths [The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 10 March 2010doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61712-8] — (English)
Infection is an important cause of stillbirths worldwide: in low-income and middle-income countries, 50% of stillbirths or more are probably caused by infection. By contrast, in high-income countries only 10—25% of stillbirths are caused by infection. Syphilis, where prevalent, causes most infectious stillbirths, and is the infection most amenable to screening and treatment. Ascending bacterial infection is a common cause of stillbirths, but prevention has proven elusive. Many viral infections cause stillbirths but aside from vaccination for common childhood diseases, we do not have a clear prevention strategy. Malaria, because of its high prevalence and extensive placental damage, accounts for large numbers of stillbirths. Intermittent malarial prophylaxis and insecticide-treated bednets should decrease stillbirths. Many infections borne by animals and vectors cause stillbirths, and these types of infections occur frequently in low-income countries. Research that better defines the relation between these infections and stillbirths, and develops strategies to reduce associated adverse outcomes, should play an important part in reduction of stillbirths in low-income countries...
RELIABILITY OF ANTIMALARIAL SENSITIVITY TESTS DEPENDS ON DRUG MECHANISMS OF ACTION [J. Clin. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/JCM.02250-09] — (English)
Our results suggest some minimal conditions to apply these tests that should give rise to a standard IC50, regardless of the mechanism of action of the compounds and highlight that the most commonly used in vitro antimalarial activity tests do not have the same potential. Some of them might not detect the antimalarial potential of new classes of compounds with innovative modes of action, which subsequently could become promising new antimalarial drugs...
Natural regulatory T cells mediate the development of cerebral malaria by modifying the pro-inflammatory response [Parasitology International, doi:10.1016/j.parint.2010.02.007 ] — (English)
Our data demonstrate that Tregs mediate the incidence and outcome of CM in P.bANKA-infected mice by modifying the pro-inflammatory response...
Proteomic profiling of Plasmodium falciparum through improved semi-quantitative, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis [J. Proteome Res., Just Accepted Manuscript DOI: 10.1021/pr9009244] — (English)
Here, we report an optimized protein extraction method, the most appropriate methods for Plasmodial protein quantification and 2-DE detection and finally protein identification by mass spectrometry (MS)....
Clustering of malaria treatment failure (TF) in Daraweesh: Hints for host genetic susceptibility to TF with emphasis on immune-modulating SNPs [Infection, Genetics and Evolution, doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2010.02.013 ] — (English)
There was clustering of TF at level of individuals and house-holds with differences in base-line immunity between the TFPi and TRi. Together, the results suggesting an immune-mediated genetic susceptibility to TF, as some of the tested polymorphisms showed trends but no significant association with TF...
Efficacy and tolerability of artesunate-amodiaquine (Camoquin plus(R)) versus artemether-lumefantrine (Coartem(R)) against uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria: multisite trial in Senegal and Ivory Coast [Trop Med Int Health. 2010 Mar 1] — (English)
This study demonstrates the efficacy and tolerability of AS + AQ for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria treatment in African patients over the age of 7 year...
The effect of Point Mutations in Dihydrofolate reductase genes and Multidrug resistance gene 1-86 on treatment of falciparum malaria in Sudan [The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, Vol 4, No 02] — (English)
The research provides the evidence that mutations present in dhfr and mdr1 86 has a significant effect on the type of treatment following SP and AQ chemotherapy. SP resistance may spread rapidly, and AS + AQ is likely to be a better option, provided AQ use is restricted to the combination. The significance of the study shows that definitely combination of drugs improves SP therapy at the study site...
Does Recent Contact With a Health Care Provider Make a Difference in Malaria Knowledge? [Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, doi:10.1093/tropej/fmq016 ] — (English)
Knowledge and practices with respect to malaria are aspects that need to be considered as part of effective malaria programs. We assessed and compared malaria practices and knowledge among those who had recently visited a health care provider and those who had not. A matched, population-based case-control study was conducted among 338 women between 15 and 45 years of age and caretakers of children </=9 years of age in Nouna, Burkina Faso. Little difference was found in the reported responses between the cases and controls, which indicates that recent visits to health care providers may not have an effect on malaria risk or knowledge. Differences were noted in malaria practices, which could suggest that health care providers are consulted only after home treatments fail. Therefore, programs and policies targeted to health care providers aimed at improving the dissemination of information may be of some benefit...
Entomopathogenic fungi as the next-generation control agents against malaria mosquitoes [Future Microbiology, March 2010, Vol. 5, No. 3, Pages 339-341 , DOI 10.2217/fmb.10.11 (doi:10.2217/fmb.10.11)] — (English)
Cryptosporidium first emerged as an opportunistic infection in HIV-infected individuals nearly 30 years ago. Today it is recognized not only for the severe infections it can cause in the immunocompromised but also as an important pathogen among immunocompetent populations such as children in daycare centers and individuals who became infected during sporadic water- and food-borne outbreaks. While our knowledge of this parasite has expanded over the last few years, many gaps in our knowledge remain. The identification of key immune mechanisms important in response and recovery could help to determine what protective processes are necessary for the development of a practical vaccine...
The effect of food consumption on lumefantrine bioavailability in African children receiving artemether–lumefantrine crushed or dispersible tablets (Coartem®) for acute uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria [Tropical Medicine & International Health, Volume 15 Issue 4, Pages 434 - 441] — (English)
Concomitant food intake increased lumefantrine absorption in children with malaria...
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