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Malaria Journal Jan 2021Although autochthonous malaria cases are no longer reported in Anhui Province, China, imported malaria has become a major health concern. The proportion of reported...
BACKGROUND
Although autochthonous malaria cases are no longer reported in Anhui Province, China, imported malaria has become a major health concern. The proportion of reported malaria cases caused by Plasmodium ovale spp. increased to levels higher than expected during 2012 to 2019, and showed two peaks, 19.69% in 2015 and 19.35% in 2018.
METHODS
A case-based retrospective study was performed using data collected from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention (CISDCP) and Information System for Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention (ISPDCP) from 2012 to 2019 to assess the trends and differences between Plasmodium ovale curtisi (P. o. curtisi) and Plasmodium ovale wallikeri (P. o. wallikeri). Epidemiological characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
RESULTS
Plasmodium o. curtisi and P. o. wallikeri were found to simultaneously circulate in 14 African countries. Among 128 patients infected with P. ovale spp., the proportion of co-infection cases was 10.16%. Six cases of co-infection with P. ovale spp. and P. falciparum were noted, each presenting with two clinical attacks (the first attack was due to P. falciparum and the second was due to P. ovale spp.) at different intervals. Accurate identification of the infecting species was achieved among only 20.00% of cases of P. ovale spp. infection. At the reporting units, 32.17% and 6.96% of cases of P. ovale spp. infection were misdiagnosed as P. vivax and P. falciparum infections, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The present results indicate that the potential of P. ovale spp. to co-infect with other Plasmodium species has been previously underestimated, as is the incidence of P. ovale spp. in countries where malaria is endemic. P. o. curtisi may have a long latency period of > 3 years and potentially cause residual foci, thus posing challenges to the elimination of malaria in P. ovale spp.-endemic areas. Considering the low rate of species identification, more sensitive point-of-care detection methods need to be developed for P. ovale spp. and introduced in non-endemic areas.
Topics: Africa; China; Communicable Diseases, Imported; Incidence; Malaria; Plasmodium ovale; Retrospective Studies
PubMed: 33407463
DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03551-8 -
Microorganisms Jun 2022was until recently thought to be a single unique species. However, the deployment of more sensitive tools has led to increased diagnostic sensitivity, including new...
was until recently thought to be a single unique species. However, the deployment of more sensitive tools has led to increased diagnostic sensitivity, including new evidence supporting the presence of two sympatric species: (Poc) and (Pow). The increased reports and evolution of subspecies are concerning for sub-Saharan Africa where the greatest burden of malaria is borne. Employing published sequence data, we set out to decipher the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness of and using the tryptophan-rich protein and small subunit ribosomal RNA genes from Gabon, Senegal, Ethiopia and Kenya. Higher number of segregating sites were recorded in Poc isolates from Gabon than from Ethiopia, with a similar trend in the number of haplotypes. With regards to Pow, the number of segregating sites and haplotypes from Ethiopia were higher than from those in Gabon. Poc from Kenya, had higher segregating sites (20), and haplotypes (4) than isolates from Senegal (8 and 3 respectively), while nucleotide from Senegal were more diverse (θw = 0.02159; π = 0.02159) than those from Kenya (θw = 0.01452; π = 0.01583). Phylogenetic tree construction reveal two large clades with Poc from Gabon and Ethiopia, and distinct Gabonese and Ethiopian clades on opposite ends. A similar observation was recorded for the phylogeny of Poc isolates from Kenya and Senegal. With such results, there is a high potential that ovale malaria control measures deployed in one country may be effective in the other since parasite from both countries show some degree of relatedness. How this translates to malaria control efforts throughout the continent would be next step deserving more studies.
PubMed: 35744665
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10061147 -
Open Forum Infectious Diseases Jul 2022The majority of symptomatic malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by . Infection with is often not recorded and not considered clinically relevant. Here, we describe...
The majority of symptomatic malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is caused by . Infection with is often not recorded and not considered clinically relevant. Here, we describe 8 cases of infection from 3 African countries-all of which were misdiagnosed at the presenting health facility.
PubMed: 35854985
DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofac261 -
The American Journal of Tropical... May 2021In 2016, we reported the presence of Plasmodium vivax in Botswana through active case detection. A real-time PCR was used during a similar study in 10 districts to...
In 2016, we reported the presence of Plasmodium vivax in Botswana through active case detection. A real-time PCR was used during a similar study in 10 districts to assess changes in the P. vivax prevalence. We assessed 1,614 children (2-13 years of age) for hemoglobin (Hb; g/dL) and Plasmodium parasites. The median age of all participants was 5.0 years (25th percentile, 3 years; 75th percentile, 8 years). The median Hb (g/dL) level was 12.1, but 18.3% of the participants had anemia (Hb < 11.0 g/dL); these participants were clustered in the younger than 5 years age group in all districts (P < 0.001). The risk of anemia decreased with age 5 years or older (odds ratio [OR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.197-0.34; P < 0.001). The prevalence rates of Plasmodium parasites were as follows: P. vivax, 12.7%; P. falciparum, 12.7%; P. malariae, 0.74%; and P. ovale (P. ovale curtisi), 0.68%. Mixed infection rates were as follows: P. falciparum and P. vivax, 2.35%; P. falciparum and P. ovale curtisi, 0.56%; P. vivax and P. malariae, 0.06%; and P. falciparum and P. malariae, 0.68%. The infections were largely asymptomatic (99.6%). Using logistic regression, the risk of infection with P. vivax was highest in Kweneng East (OR, 6.2; 95% CI, 2.9-13.1), followed by South East (OR, 5.6; 95% CI, 2.5-12.3) and Ngami (OR, 5.1; 95% CI, 2.2-12.0). Compared to the risk of infection for children younger than 5 years, the risk of infection decreased for children 5 years or older in regions with high rates of P. vivax and P. falciparum infections. P. vivax and P. falciparum have expanded within the asymptomatic population in Botswana; therefore, careful attention is required for their elimination.
Topics: Adolescent; Asymptomatic Infections; Botswana; Child; Child, Preschool; DNA, Protozoan; Humans; Malaria, Falciparum; Malaria, Vivax; Odds Ratio; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium vivax; Prevalence; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
PubMed: 33939635
DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0083 -
Tropical Parasitology 2020Malaria, a mosquito-transmitted parasitic disease, has been targeted for elimination in many parts of the world. For many years, and have been known to cause malaria... (Review)
Review
Malaria, a mosquito-transmitted parasitic disease, has been targeted for elimination in many parts of the world. For many years, and have been known to cause malaria in humans. Now, is considered to be an important cause of malaria, especially in Southeast Asia. The emergence of zoonotic implication is a challenge in the elimination efforts of malaria in Southeast Asia. is known to cause severe complicated malaria in humans. parasite is transmitted between humans and wild macaque through mosquito vectors. It appears that the malaria disease severity and host immune evasion depend on antigenic variation exhibited at the surface of the infected erythrocyte. is sensitive to antimalarial drug artemisinin. Identification of vector species, their biting behavior, timely correct diagnosis, and treatment are important steps in disease management and control. There is a need to identify and implement effective intervention measures to cut the chain of transmissions from animals to humans. The zoonotic malaria definitely poses a significant challenge in elimination and subsequent eradication of all types of malaria from this globe.
PubMed: 32775284
DOI: 10.4103/tp.TP_17_18 -
Acta Parasitologica Sep 2021Plasmodium ovale is not usually the focus of most malaria research or intervention programmes and has lately been termed the neglected human malaria parasites. The...
PURPOSE
Plasmodium ovale is not usually the focus of most malaria research or intervention programmes and has lately been termed the neglected human malaria parasites. The parasite exists as two genetically distinct sympatric species namely P. ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri but information on the distribution of P. ovale sub-species is lacking in Nigeria. The objective of this study, therefore, was aimed at characterizing the P. ovale sub-species in isolates from symptomatic individuals in North-central Nigeria.
METHODS
Parasites were identified by light microscopy of Giemsa stained thick and thin blood films. Molecular characterization and confirmation of P. ovale sub-species were done by species-specific nested PCR and sequencing of the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSUrRNA) gene.
RESULTS
A total of 412 children were enrolled into this study of which 88.6% (n = 365) were positive for Plasmodium species by nested PCR and P. falciparum was predominant. Of the 365 isolates, 4 (1.1%) had P. ovale infections and of these, 3 (0.8%) were mixed species infections of P. ovale with P. falciparum. DNA sequence analysis confirmed that all the four P. ovale parasites were P. ovale curtisi as their sequences were 99-100% identical to previously published P. ovale curtisi sequences in the GenBank and they cluster with the P. ovale curtisi sequences by phylogeny.
CONCLUSION
Our findings demonstrate the occurrence of P. ovale curtisi in the study area. This has implications for public health and malaria elimination programmes, since they also serve as potential risk to travellers from malaria-free regions.
Topics: Child; Humans; Malaria; Nigeria; Plasmodium ovale; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Species Specificity
PubMed: 33710479
DOI: 10.1007/s11686-021-00350-2 -
The Journal of Infectious Diseases Mar 2021Plasmodium ovale is an understudied malaria species prevalent throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Little is known about the distribution of ovale malaria and risk...
BACKGROUND
Plasmodium ovale is an understudied malaria species prevalent throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Little is known about the distribution of ovale malaria and risk factors for infection in areas of high malaria endemicity.
METHODS
Using the 2013 Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Demographic and Health Survey, we conducted a risk factor analysis for P. ovale infections. We evaluated geographic clustering of infections and speciated to P. ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri through deep sequencing.
RESULTS
Of 18 149 adults tested, we detected 143 prevalent P. ovale infections (prevalence estimate 0.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], .59%-.98%). Prevalence ratios (PR) for significant risk factors were: male sex PR = 2.12 (95% CI, 1.38-3.26), coprevalent P. falciparum PR = 3.52 (95% CI, 2.06-5.99), and rural residence PR = 2.19 (95% CI, 1.31-3.66). P. ovale was broadly distributed throughout the DRC; an elevated cluster of infections was detected in the south-central region. Speciation revealed P. ovale curtisi and P. ovale wallikeri circulating throughout the country.
CONCLUSIONS
P. ovale persists broadly in the DRC, a high malaria burden country. For successful elimination of all malaria species, P. ovale needs to be on the radar of malaria control programs.
Topics: Adult; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Humans; Malaria; Plasmodium ovale; Prevalence
PubMed: 32766832
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa478 -
International Journal For Parasitology Jan 2022Asymptomatic malaria parasite carriers do not seek anti-malarial treatment and may constitute a silent infectious reservoir. In order to assess the level of asymptomatic...
Asymptomatic malaria parasite carriers do not seek anti-malarial treatment and may constitute a silent infectious reservoir. In order to assess the level of asymptomatic and symptomatic carriage amongst adolescents in a highly endemic area, and to identify the risk factors associated with such carriage, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 1032 adolescents (ages 10-19 years) from eight schools located in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria in 2016. Blood films and blood spot filter paper samples were prepared for microscopy and DNA analysis. The prevalence of asymptomatic malaria was determined using microscopy, rapid diagnostic tests and PCR for 658 randomly selected samples. Of these, we found that 80% of asymptomatic schoolchildren were positive for malaria parasites by PCR, compared with 47% and 9%, determined by rapid diagnostic tests and microscopy, respectively. Malaria parasite species typing was performed using PCR targeting the mitochondrial CoxIII gene, and revealed high rates of carriage of Plasmodium malariae (53%) and Plasmodium ovale (24%). Most asymptomatic infections were co-infections of two or more species (62%), with Plasmodium falciparum + P. malariae the most common (35%), followed by P. falciparum + P. malariae + P. ovale (21%) and P. falciparum + P. ovale (6%). Single infections of P. falciparum, P. malariae and P. ovale accounted for 24%, 10% and 4% of all asymptomatic infections, respectively. To compare the species composition of asymptomatic and symptomatic infections, further sample collection was carried out in 2017 at one of the previously sampled schools, and at a nearby hospital. Whilst the species composition of the asymptomatic infections was similar to that observed in 2016, the symptomatic infections were markedly different, with single infections of P. falciparum observed in 91% of patients, P. falciparum + P. malariae in 5% and P. falciparum + P. ovale in 4%.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Asymptomatic Infections; Child; Coinfection; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Malaria; Malaria, Falciparum; Nigeria; Parasites; Plasmodium; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium malariae; Plasmodium ovale; Prevalence; Young Adult
PubMed: 34390743
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.06.003 -
Malaria Journal May 2022During the twentieth century, there was an explosion in understanding of the malaria parasites infecting humans and wild primates. This was built on three main data... (Review)
Review
During the twentieth century, there was an explosion in understanding of the malaria parasites infecting humans and wild primates. This was built on three main data sources: from detailed descriptive morphology, from observational histories of induced infections in captive primates, syphilis patients, prison inmates and volunteers, and from clinical and epidemiological studies in the field. All three were wholly dependent on parasitological information from blood-film microscopy, and The Primate Malarias" by Coatney and colleagues (1971) provides an overview of this knowledge available at that time. Here, 50 years on, a perspective from the third decade of the twenty-first century is presented on two pairs of primate malaria parasite species. Included is a near-exhaustive summary of the recent and current geographical distribution for each of these four species, and of the underlying molecular and genomic evidence for each. The important role of host transitions in the radiation of Plasmodium spp. is discussed, as are any implications for the desired elimination of all malaria species in human populations. Two important questions are posed, requiring further work on these often ignored taxa. Is Plasmodium brasilianum, circulating among wild simian hosts in the Americas, a distinct species from Plasmodium malariae? Can new insights into the genomic differences between Plasmodium ovale curtisi and Plasmodium ovale wallikeri be linked to any important differences in parasite morphology, cell biology or clinical and epidemiological features?
Topics: Animals; Genomics; Humans; Malaria; Parasites; Plasmodium malariae; Plasmodium ovale; Primates
PubMed: 35505317
DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04151-4 -
Journal of Tropical Medicine 2022Worldwide, transmission of emerging and reemerging malaria infections poses a significant threat to human health in the Sub-Saharan Africa, one that can quickly... (Review)
Review
Worldwide, transmission of emerging and reemerging malaria infections poses a significant threat to human health in the Sub-Saharan Africa, one that can quickly overwhelm public health resources. While the disease burden of malaria in the Sub-Saharan Africa appears to be on a gradual decline, it is characterized by spatial and temporal variability occasioning a sorry state for the Global South Countries. New evidence on long-term complications of malaria heightens our awareness of its public health impact. Given the likelihood of misdiagnosis, and the unknown levels of malaria transmission across different landscapes, many missed opportunities for prevention occur. Africa's population growth, unplanned urbanization, habitat destruction, and trans-border travel are contributing to a rise in the calamitous epidemiology of malaria. Despite empirical statistics demonstrating a downward trend in the malaria disease burden attributable to the scale-up of multiple control strategies, including new diagnostic technologies, malaria remains a global threat to human health in Sub-Sahara Africa. Malaria is a severe public health threat globally, despite several advancements and innovations in its control. Six species of the genus including and are known to infect humans. However, greatest disease burden and fatalities are caused by . Globally, about 3 billion individuals are at risk of contracting malaria disease every year, with over 400,000 fatalities reported in the Sub-Saharan Africa. World Health Organization (WHO) 2018 malaria report indicated that approximately 405,000 mortalities and 228 million cases were reported worldwide, with Africa carrying the highest disease burden. Over the last decade, there has been a significant decline in malaria deaths and infections, which may be related to the availability of effective diagnostic techniques. However, in certain areas, the rate of decline has slowed or even reversed the gains made so far. Accurate diagnosis, adequate treatment, and management of the disease are critical WHO-set goals of eliminating malaria by 2030. Microscopy, rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs), and biosensors are all currently accessible diagnostic methods. These technologies have substantial flaws and triumphs that could stymie or accelerate malaria eradication efforts. The cost, ease, accessibility, and availability of skilled persons all influence the use of these technologies. These variables have a direct and indirect ramification on the entire management portfolio of patients. Despite the overall decline in the malaria disease burden driven partly by new diagnostic technologies, a sobering pattern marked by limited number of studies and spatial as well as temporal heterogeneity remains a concern. This review summarizes the principle, performance, gaps, accomplishments, and applicability of numerous malaria diagnostic techniques and their potential role in reducing the malaria disease burden in Sub-Saharan Africa.
PubMed: 35360189
DOI: 10.1155/2022/7324281