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Goodwin J, Kajubi R, Wang K, Li F, Wade M, Orukan F, Huang L, Whalen M, Aweeka FT, Mwebaza N, Parikh S. Persistent and multiclonal malaria parasite dynamics despite extended artemether-lumefantrine treatment in children. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3817. [PMID: 38714692 PMCID: PMC11076639 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48210-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Standard diagnostics used in longitudinal antimalarial studies are unable to characterize the complexity of submicroscopic parasite dynamics, particularly in high transmission settings. We use molecular markers and amplicon sequencing to characterize post-treatment stage-specific malaria parasite dynamics during a 42 day randomized trial of 3- versus 5 day artemether-lumefantrine in 303 children with and without HIV (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT03453840). The prevalence of parasite-derived 18S rRNA is >70% in children throughout follow-up, and the ring-stage marker SBP1 is detectable in over 15% of children on day 14 despite effective treatment. We find that the extended regimen significantly lowers the risk of recurrent ring-stage parasitemia compared to the standard 3 day regimen, and that higher day 7 lumefantrine concentrations decrease the probability of ring-stage parasites in the early post-treatment period. Longitudinal amplicon sequencing reveals remarkably dynamic patterns of multiclonal infections that include new and persistent clones in both the early post-treatment and later time periods. Our data indicate that post-treatment parasite dynamics are highly complex despite efficacious therapy, findings that will inform strategies to optimize regimens in the face of emerging partial artemisinin resistance in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Goodwin
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Richard Kajubi
- Infectious Disease Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Kaicheng Wang
- Yale Center for Analytical Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Fangyong Li
- Yale Center for Analytical Sciences, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Martina Wade
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Francis Orukan
- Infectious Disease Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Liusheng Huang
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Meghan Whalen
- University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Norah Mwebaza
- Infectious Disease Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Sunil Parikh
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Gupta H, Sharma S, Gilyazova I, Satyamoorthy K. Molecular tools are crucial for malaria elimination. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:555. [PMID: 38642192 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09496-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
The eradication of Plasmodium parasites, responsible for malaria, is a daunting global public health task. It requires a comprehensive approach that addresses symptomatic, asymptomatic, and submicroscopic cases. Overcoming this challenge relies on harnessing the power of molecular diagnostic tools, as traditional methods like microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests fall short in detecting low parasitaemia, contributing to the persistence of malaria transmission. By precisely identifying patients of all types and effectively characterizing malaria parasites, molecular tools may emerge as indispensable allies in the pursuit of malaria elimination. Furthermore, molecular tools can also provide valuable insights into parasite diversity, drug resistance patterns, and transmission dynamics, aiding in the implementation of targeted interventions and surveillance strategies. In this review, we explore the significance of molecular tools in the pursuit of malaria elimination, shedding light on their key contributions and potential impact on public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Himanshu Gupta
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Applied Sciences & Humanities, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Sonal Sharma
- Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Applied Sciences & Humanities, GLA University, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Irina Gilyazova
- Subdivision of the Ufa Federal Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biochemistry and Genetics, Ufa, 450054, Russia
- Bashkir State Medical University, Ufa, 450008, Russia
| | - Kapaettu Satyamoorthy
- SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara (SDM) University, Manjushree Nagar, Sattur, Dharwad, 580009, Karnataka, India
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3
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Vareta J, Horstman NA, Adams M, Seydel KB, McCann RS, Cohee LM, Laufer MK, Takala-Harrison S. Genotyping Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes using amplicon deep sequencing. Malar J 2024; 23:96. [PMID: 38582837 PMCID: PMC10999092 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04920-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the dynamics of gametocyte production in polyclonal Plasmodium falciparum infections requires a genotyping method that detects distinct gametocyte clones and estimates their relative frequencies. Here, a marker was identified and evaluated to genotype P. falciparum mature gametocytes using amplicon deep sequencing. METHODS A data set of polymorphic regions of the P. falciparum genome was mined to identify a gametocyte genotyping marker. To assess marker resolution, the number of unique haplotypes in the marker region was estimated from 95 Malawian P. falciparum whole genome sequences. Specificity of the marker for detection of mature gametocytes was evaluated using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of RNA extracted from NF54 mature gametocytes and rings from a non-gametocyte-producing strain of P. falciparum. Amplicon deep sequencing was performed on experimental mixtures of mature gametocytes from two distinct parasite clones, as well as gametocyte-positive P. falciparum field isolates to evaluate the quantitative ability and determine the limit of detection of the genotyping approach. RESULTS A 400 bp region of the pfs230 gene was identified as a gametocyte genotyping marker. A larger number of unique haplotypes was observed at the pfs230 marker (34) compared to the sera-2 (18) and ama-1 (14) markers in field isolates from Malawi. RNA and DNA genotyping accurately estimated gametocyte and total parasite clone frequencies when evaluating agreement between expected and observed haplotype frequencies in gametocyte mixtures, with concordance correlation coefficients of 0.97 [95% CI: 0.92-0.99] and 0.92 [95% CI: 0.83-0.97], respectively. The detection limit of the genotyping method for male gametocytes was 0.41 pfmget transcripts/µl [95% CI: 0.28-0.72] and for female gametocytes was 1.98 ccp4 transcripts/µl [95% CI: 1.35-3.68]. CONCLUSIONS A region of the pfs230 gene was identified as a marker to genotype P. falciparum gametocytes. Amplicon deep sequencing of this marker can be used to estimate the number and relative frequency of parasite clones among mature gametocytes within P. falciparum infections. This gametocyte genotyping marker will be an important tool for studies aimed at understanding dynamics of gametocyte production in polyclonal P. falciparum infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Vareta
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Natalie A Horstman
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew Adams
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Karl B Seydel
- Blantyre Malaria Project, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Robert S McCann
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lauren M Cohee
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Miriam K Laufer
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Shannon Takala-Harrison
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Ishengoma DS, Mandara CI, Madebe RA, Warsame M, Ngasala B, Kabanywanyi AM, Mahende MK, Kamugisha E, Kavishe RA, Muro F, Mandike R, Mkude S, Chacky F, Njau R, Martin T, Mohamed A, Bailey JA, Fola AA. Microsatellites reveal high polymorphism and high potential for use in anti-malarial efficacy studies in areas with different transmission intensities in mainland Tanzania. Malar J 2024; 23:79. [PMID: 38491359 PMCID: PMC10943981 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04901-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tanzania is currently implementing therapeutic efficacy studies (TES) in areas of varying malaria transmission intensities as per the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. In TES, distinguishing reinfection from recrudescence is critical for the determination of anti-malarial efficacy. Recently, the WHO recommended genotyping polymorphic coding genes, merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 (msp1 and msp2), and replacing the glutamate-rich protein (glurp) gene with one of the highly polymorphic microsatellites in Plasmodium falciparum to adjust the efficacy of antimalarials in TES. This study assessed the polymorphisms of six neutral microsatellite markers and their potential use in TES, which is routinely performed in Tanzania. METHODS Plasmodium falciparum samples were obtained from four TES sentinel sites, Kibaha (Pwani), Mkuzi (Tanga), Mlimba (Morogoro) and Ujiji (Kigoma), between April and September 2016. Parasite genomic DNA was extracted from dried blood spots on filter papers using commercial kits. Genotyping was done using six microsatellites (Poly-α, PfPK2, TA1, C3M69, C2M34 and M2490) by capillary method, and the data were analysed to determine the extent of their polymorphisms and genetic diversity at the four sites. RESULTS Overall, 83 (88.3%) of the 94 samples were successfully genotyped (with positive results for ≥ 50.0% of the markers), and > 50.0% of the samples (range = 47.6-59.1%) were polyclonal, with a mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) ranging from 1.68 to 1.88 among the four sites. There was high genetic diversity but limited variability among the four sites based on mean allelic richness (RS = 7.48, range = 7.27-8.03, for an adjusted minimum sample size of 18 per site) and mean expected heterozygosity (He = 0.83, range = 0.80-0.85). Cluster analysis of haplotypes using STRUCTURE, principal component analysis, and pairwise genetic differentiation (FST) did not reveal population structure or clustering of parasites according to geographic origin. Of the six markers, Poly-α was the most polymorphic, followed by C2M34, TA1 and C3M69, while M2490 was the least polymorphic. CONCLUSION Microsatellite genotyping revealed high polyclonality and genetic diversity but no significant population structure. Poly-α, C2M34, TA1 and C3M69 were the most polymorphic markers, and Poly-α alone or with any of the other three markers could be adopted for use in TES in Tanzania.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deus S Ishengoma
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Celine I Mandara
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Rashid A Madebe
- National Institute for Medical Research, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | | | - Billy Ngasala
- Department of Parasitology, School of Public Health, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | - Erasmus Kamugisha
- Bugando Medical Centre, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania
| | - Reginald A Kavishe
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Florida Muro
- Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College, Moshi, Tanzania
| | - Renata Mandike
- National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | - Sigsbert Mkude
- National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | - Frank Chacky
- National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | - Ritha Njau
- Malariologist and Public Health Specialist, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Troy Martin
- HIV Vaccine Trials Network, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Centre, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ally Mohamed
- National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Dodoma, Tanzania
| | - Jeffrey A Bailey
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Abebe A Fola
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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Holzschuh A, Ewnetu Y, Carlier L, Lerch A, Gerlovina I, Baker SC, Yewhalaw D, Haileselassie W, Berhane N, Lemma W, Koepfli C. Plasmodium falciparum transmission in the highlands of Ethiopia is driven by closely related and clonal parasites. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17292. [PMID: 38339833 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Malaria cases are frequently recorded in the Ethiopian highlands even at altitudes above 2000 m. The epidemiology of malaria in the Ethiopian highlands, and, in particular, the role of importation by human migration from the highly endemic lowlands is not well understood. We sequenced 187 Plasmodium falciparum samples from two sites in the Ethiopian highlands, Gondar (n = 159) and Ziway (n = 28), using a multiplexed droplet digital PCR (ddPCR)-based amplicon sequencing method targeting 35 microhaplotypes and drug resistance loci. Here, we characterize the parasite population structure and genetic relatedness. We identify moderate parasite diversity (mean HE : 0.54) and low infection complexity (74.9% monoclonal). A significant percentage of infections share microhaplotypes, even across transmission seasons and sites, indicating persistent local transmission. We identify multiple clusters of clonal or near-clonal infections, highlighting high genetic relatedness. Only 6.3% of individuals diagnosed with P. falciparum reported recent travel. Yet, in clonal or near-clonal clusters, infections of travellers were frequently observed first in time, suggesting that parasites may have been imported and then transmitted locally. 31.1% of infections are pfhrp2-deleted and 84.4% pfhrp3-deleted, and 28.7% have pfhrp2/3 double deletions. Parasites with pfhrp2/3 deletions and wild-type parasites are genetically distinct. Mutations associated with resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine or suggested to reduce sensitivity to lumefantrine are observed at near-fixation. In conclusion, genomic data corroborate local transmission and the importance of intensified control in the Ethiopian highlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurel Holzschuh
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Yalemwork Ewnetu
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Lise Carlier
- Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Noul Inc., Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Anita Lerch
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Inna Gerlovina
- Department of Medicine, Division of HIV, ID and Global Medicine, EPPIcenter Research Program, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Sarah Cate Baker
- Trinity Centre for Global Health, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Tropical and Infectious Disease Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | | | - Nega Berhane
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Wossenseged Lemma
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Cristian Koepfli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
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6
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Reda AG, Huwe T, Koepfli C, Assefa A, Tessema SK, Messele A, Golassa L, Mamo H. Amplicon deep sequencing of five highly polymorphic markers of Plasmodium falciparum reveals high parasite genetic diversity and moderate population structure in Ethiopia. Malar J 2023; 22:376. [PMID: 38087335 PMCID: PMC10714478 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04814-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium falciparum genetic diversity can add information on transmission intensity and can be used to track control and elimination interventions. METHODS Dried blood spots (DBS) were collected from patients who were recruited for a P. falciparum malaria therapeutic efficacy trial in three malaria endemic sites in Ethiopia from October to December 2015, and November to December 2019. qPCR-confirmed infections were subject to amplicon sequencing of polymorphic markers ama1-D3, csp, cpp, cpmp, msp7. Genetic diversity, the proportion of multiclonal infections, multiplicity of infection, and population structure were analysed. RESULTS Among 198 samples selected for sequencing, data was obtained for 181 samples. Mean MOI was 1.38 (95% CI 1.24-1.53) and 17% (31/181) of infections were polyclonal. Mean He across all markers was 0.730. Population structure was moderate; populations from Metema and Metehara 2015 were very similar to each other, but distinct from Wondogent 2015 and Metehara 2019. CONCLUSION The high level of parasite genetic diversity and moderate population structure in this study suggests frequent gene flow of parasites among sites. The results obtained can be used as a baseline for additional parasite genetic diversity and structure studies, aiding in the formulation of appropriate control strategies in Ethiopia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abeba Gebretsadik Reda
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Tiffany Huwe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA.
| | - Cristian Koepfli
- Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA
| | - Ashenafi Assefa
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Alebachew Messele
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Lemu Golassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Hassen Mamo
- Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Plaza DF, Zerebinski J, Broumou I, Lautenbach MJ, Ngasala B, Sundling C, Färnert A. A genomic platform for surveillance and antigen discovery in Plasmodium spp. using long-read amplicon sequencing. CELL REPORTS METHODS 2023; 3:100574. [PMID: 37751696 PMCID: PMC10545912 DOI: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2023.100574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Many vaccine candidate proteins in the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum are under strong immunological pressure and confer antigenic diversity. We present a sequencing and data analysis platform for the genomic surveillance of the insertion or deletion (indel)-rich antigens merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1), MSP2, glutamate-rich protein (GLURP), and CSP from P. falciparum using long-read circular consensus sequencing (CCS) in multiclonal malaria isolates. Our platform uses 40 PCR primers per gene to asymmetrically barcode and identify multiclonal infections in pools of up to 384 samples. With msp2, we validated the method using 235 mock infections combining 10 synthetic variants at different concentrations and infection complexities. We applied this strategy to P. falciparum isolates from a longitudinal cohort in Tanzania. Finally, we constructed an analysis pipeline that streamlines the processing and interpretation of epidemiological and antigenic diversity data from demultiplexed FASTQ files. This platform can be easily adapted to other polymorphic antigens of interest in Plasmodium or any other human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Fernando Plaza
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Julia Zerebinski
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ioanna Broumou
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Maximilian Julius Lautenbach
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Billy Ngasala
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam 57RF+V8, Tanzania
| | - Christopher Sundling
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anna Färnert
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 17177 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, 17176 Stockholm, Sweden
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Man I, Benincà E, Kretzschmar ME, Bogaards JA. Reconstructing multi-strain pathogen interactions from cross-sectional survey data via statistical network inference. J R Soc Interface 2023; 20:20220912. [PMID: 37553995 PMCID: PMC10410213 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases often involve multiple pathogen species or multiple strains of the same pathogen. As such, knowledge of how different pathogens interact is key to understand and predict the outcome of interventions targeting only a subset of species or strains involved in disease. Population-level data may be useful to infer pathogen strain interactions, but most previously used inference methods only consider uniform interactions between all strains or focus on marginal pairwise interactions. As such, these methods are prone to bias induced by indirect interactions through other strains. Here, we evaluated statistical network inference for reconstructing heterogeneous interactions from cross-sectional surveys detecting joint presence/absence patterns of pathogen strains within hosts. We applied various network models to simulated survey data, representing endemic infection states of multiple pathogen strains with potential interactions in acquisition or clearance of infection. Satisfactory performance was demonstrated by the estimators converging to the true interactions. Accurate reconstruction of interaction networks was achieved by regularization or penalization for sample size. Although performance deteriorated in the presence of host heterogeneity, this was overcome by correcting for individual-level risk factors. Our work demonstrates how statistical network inference could prove useful for detecting multi-strain pathogen interactions and may have applications beyond epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Man
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Julius Centre, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Elisa Benincà
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | | | - Johannes A. Bogaards
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology and Data Science, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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9
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Castañeda-Mogollón D, Toppings NB, Kamaliddin C, Lang R, Kuhn S, Pillai DR. Amplicon Deep Sequencing Reveals Multiple Genetic Events Lead to Treatment Failure with Atovaquone-Proguanil in Plasmodium falciparum. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0170922. [PMID: 37154745 PMCID: PMC10269153 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01709-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Atovaquone-proguanil (AP) is used as treatment for uncomplicated malaria, and as a chemoprophylactic agent against Plasmodium falciparum. Imported malaria remains one of the top causes of fever in Canadian returning travelers. Twelve sequential whole-blood samples before and after AP treatment failure were obtained from a patient diagnosed with P. falciparum malaria upon their return from Uganda and Sudan. Ultradeep sequencing was performed on the cytb, dhfr, and dhps markers of treatment resistance before and during the episode of recrudescence. Haplotyping profiles were generated using three different approaches: msp2-3D7 agarose and capillary electrophoresis, and cpmp using amplicon deep sequencing (ADS). A complexity of infection (COI) analysis was conducted. De novo cytb Y268C mutants strains were observed during an episode of recrudescence 17 days and 16 h after the initial malaria diagnosis and AP treatment initiation. No Y268C mutant reads were observed in any of the samples prior to the recrudescence. SNPs in the dhfr and dhps genes were observed upon initial presentation. The haplotyping profiles suggest multiple clones mutating under AP selection pressure (COI > 3). Significant differences in COI were observed by capillary electrophoresis and ADS compared to the agarose gel results. ADS using cpmp revealed the lowest haplotype variation across the longitudinal analysis. Our findings highlight the value of ultra-deep sequencing methods in the understanding of P. falciparum haplotype infection dynamics. Longitudinal samples should be analyzed in genotyping studies to increase the analytical sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Castañeda-Mogollón
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Calvin, Phoebe & Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Noah B. Toppings
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Calvin, Phoebe & Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Claire Kamaliddin
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Calvin, Phoebe & Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Raynell Lang
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Susan Kuhn
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Dylan R. Pillai
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Calvin, Phoebe & Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Precision Laboratories, Diagnostic & Scientific Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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10
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Andolina C, Ramjith J, Rek J, Lanke K, Okoth J, Grignard L, Arinaitwe E, Briggs J, Bailey J, Aydemir O, Kamya MR, Greenhouse B, Dorsey G, Staedke SG, Drakeley C, Jonker M, Bousema T. Plasmodium falciparum gametocyte carriage in longitudinally monitored incident infections is associated with duration of infection and human host factors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7072. [PMID: 37127688 PMCID: PMC10150352 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33657-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria transmission depends on the presence of Plasmodium gametocytes that are the only parasite life stage that can infect mosquitoes. Gametocyte production varies between infections and over the course of infections. Infection duration is highly important for gametocyte production but poorly quantified. Between 2017 and 2019 an all-age cohort of individuals from Tororo, eastern Uganda was followed by continuous passive and routine assessments. We longitudinally monitored 104 incident infections from 98 individuals who were sampled once every 28 days and on any day of symptoms. Among infections that lasted ≥ 3 months, gametocyte appearance was near-universal with 96% of infections having detectable gametocytes prior to clearance. However, most infections were of much shorter duration; 55.7% of asymptomatic infections were detected only once. When considering all asymptomatic infections, regardless of their duration, only 36.3% had detectable gametocytes on at least one time-point prior to parasite clearance. Infections in individuals with sickle-cell trait (HbAS) were more likely to have gametocytes detected (Hazard Rate (HR) = 2.68, 95% CI 1.12, 6.38; p = 0.0231) and had gametocytes detected at higher densities (Density Ratio (DR) = 9.19, 95% CI 2.79, 30.23; p = 0.0002) compared to infections in wildtype (HbAA) individuals. Our findings suggest that a large proportion of incident infections is too short in duration and of too low density to contribute to onward transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Andolina
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jordache Ramjith
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department for Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - John Rek
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Kjerstin Lanke
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Joseph Okoth
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Lynn Grignard
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | - Jessica Briggs
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Jeffrey Bailey
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Ozkan Aydemir
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Moses R Kamya
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Bryan Greenhouse
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Grant Dorsey
- Department of Medicine, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Sarah G Staedke
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Chris Drakeley
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Marianne Jonker
- Department for Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Teun Bousema
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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11
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Hastings IM, Felger I. WHO antimalarial trial guidelines: good science, bad news? Trends Parasitol 2022; 38:933-941. [PMID: 36068129 DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2022.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Estimating antimalarial drug efficacy requires differentiating treatment failures from new infections arising during the several-week follow-up period in drug trials. Genetic profiling of malaria infections can guide this decision but is notoriously difficult in practice. Previous World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines were based on assumptions with an inherently high risk of underestimating failure rates. A recent update to WHO guidelines recognises a wider range of analyses to overcome these limitations. We discuss these new analyses and their underlying logic. Drug failure rate estimates in moderate to high transmissions areas will become more accurate but will likely rise twofold due to better detection of treatment failures, and the malaria community needs to anticipate and prepare for potentially large increases in estimated failure rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M Hastings
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool L3 5QA, UK.
| | - Ingrid Felger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland
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12
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Zhou G, Hemming-Schroeder E, Jeang B, Wang X, Zhong D, Lee MC, Li Y, Bradley L, Gobran SR, David RE, Ondeto BM, Orondo P, Atieli H, Githure JI, Githeko AK, Kazura J, Yan G. Irrigation-Induced Environmental Changes Sustain Malaria Transmission and Compromise Intervention Effectiveness. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:1657-1666. [PMID: 36056912 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Irrigated agriculture enhances food security, but it potentially promotes mosquito-borne disease transmission and affects vector intervention effectiveness. This study was conducted in the irrigated and nonirrigated areas of rural Homa Bay and Kisumu Counties, Kenya. METHODS We performed cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys to determine Plasmodium infection prevalence, clinical malaria incidence, molecular force of infection (molFOI), and multiplicity of infection. We examined the impact of irrigation on the effectiveness of the new interventions. RESULTS We found that irrigation was associated with >2-fold higher Plasmodium infection prevalence and 3-fold higher clinical malaria incidence compared to the nonirrigated area. Residents in the irrigated area experienced persistent, low-density parasite infections and higher molFOI. Addition of indoor residual spraying was effective in reducing malaria burden, but the reduction was more pronounced in the nonirrigated area than in the irrigated area. CONCLUSIONS Our findings collectively suggest that irrigation may sustain and enhance Plasmodium transmission and affects intervention effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guofa Zhou
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Elizabeth Hemming-Schroeder
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.,Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Brook Jeang
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Xiaoming Wang
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Daibin Zhong
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Ming-Chieh Lee
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Yiji Li
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.,Department of Pathogen Biology, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, China
| | - Lauren Bradley
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Sabrina R Gobran
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Randy E David
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Benyl M Ondeto
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Pauline Orondo
- Department of Biochemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Harrysone Atieli
- School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya.,International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, Tom Mboya University College, Homa Bay, Kenya
| | - John I Githure
- International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research, Tom Mboya University College, Homa Bay, Kenya
| | - Andrew K Githeko
- Centre for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - James Kazura
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Guiyun Yan
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
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13
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Mensah BA, Akyea-Bobi NE, Ghansah A. Genomic approaches for monitoring transmission dynamics of malaria: A case for malaria molecular surveillance in Sub-Saharan Africa. FRONTIERS IN EPIDEMIOLOGY 2022; 2:939291. [PMID: 38455324 PMCID: PMC10911004 DOI: 10.3389/fepid.2022.939291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Transmission dynamics is an important indicator for malaria control and elimination. As we move closer to eliminating malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa (sSA), transmission indices with higher resolution (genomic approaches) will complement our current measurements of transmission. Most of the present programmatic knowledge of malaria transmission patterns are derived from assessments of epidemiologic and clinical data, such as case counts, parasitological estimates of parasite prevalence, and Entomological Inoculation Rates (EIR). However, to eliminate malaria from endemic areas, we need to track changes in the parasite population and how they will impact transmission. This is made possible through the evolving field of genomics and genetics, as well as the development of tools for more in-depth studies on the diversity of parasites and the complexity of infections, among other topics. If malaria elimination is to be achieved globally, country-specific elimination activities should be supported by parasite genomic data from regularly collected blood samples for diagnosis, surveillance and possibly from other programmatic interventions. This presents a unique opportunity to track the spread of malaria parasites and shed additional light on intervention efficacy. In this review, various genetic techniques are highlighted along with their significance for an enhanced understanding of transmission patterns in distinct topological settings throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The importance of these methods and their limitations in malaria surveillance to guide control and elimination strategies, are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedicta A. Mensah
- Department of Epidemiology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Nukunu E. Akyea-Bobi
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Anita Ghansah
- Department of Parasitology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
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14
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Mueller I, Vantaux A, Karl S, Laman M, Witkowski B, Pepey A, Vinit R, White M, Barry A, Beeson JG, Robinson LJ. Asia-Pacific ICEMR: Understanding Malaria Transmission to Accelerate Malaria Elimination in the Asia Pacific Region. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022; 107:131-137. [PMID: 36228917 PMCID: PMC9662229 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-1336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Gaining an in-depth understanding of malaria transmission requires integrated, multifaceted research approaches. The Asia-Pacific International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR) is applying specifically developed molecular and immunological assays, in-depth entomological assessments, and advanced statistical and mathematical modeling approaches to a rich series of longitudinal cohort and cross-sectional studies in Papua New Guinea and Cambodia. This is revealing both the essential contribution of forest-based transmission and the particular challenges posed by Plasmodium vivax to malaria elimination in Cambodia. In Papua New Guinea, these studies document the complex host-vector-parasite interactions that are underlying both the stunning reductions in malaria burden from 2006 to 2014 and the significant resurgence in transmission in 2016 to 2018. Here we describe the novel analytical, surveillance, molecular, and immunological tools that are being applied in our ongoing Asia-Pacific ICEMR research program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo Mueller
- Population Health & Immunity Division, Walter + Eliza Hall Institutes, Melbourne, Australia;,University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;,Address correspondence to Ivo Mueller, Population Health & Immunity Division, Walter + Eliza Hall Institutes, 1G Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria, Australia 3052. E-mail:
| | | | - Stephan Karl
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia;,PNG Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Moses Laman
- PNG Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | | | - Anais Pepey
- Institute Pasteur Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Rebecca Vinit
- PNG Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | | | - Alyssa Barry
- Deakin University, Geelong, Australia;,Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
| | - James G. Beeson
- University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia;,Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia;,Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Leanne J. Robinson
- Population Health & Immunity Division, Walter + Eliza Hall Institutes, Melbourne, Australia;,PNG Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea;,Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia;,Monash University, Victoria, Australia
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15
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Genetic Diversity of Plasmodium falciparum and Distribution of Antimalarial Drug Resistance Mutations in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Infections. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2022; 66:e0018822. [DOI: 10.1128/aac.00188-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria control relies on passive case detection, and this strategy fails detecting asymptomatic infections. In addition, infections in endemic areas harbor multiple parasite genotypes that could affect case management and malaria epidemiology.
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16
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Wamae K, Kimenyi KM, Osoti V, de Laurent ZR, Ndwiga L, Kharabora O, Hathaway NJ, Bailey JA, Juliano JJ, Bejon P, Ochola-Oyier LI. Amplicon sequencing as a potential surveillance tool for complexity of infection and drug resistance markers in Plasmodium falciparum asymptomatic infections. J Infect Dis 2022; 226:920-927. [PMID: 35429395 PMCID: PMC7613600 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Genotyping Plasmodium falciparum subpopulations in malaria infections is an important aspect of malaria molecular epidemiology to understand within-host diversity and the frequency of drug resistance markers. Methods We characterized P. falciparum genetic diversity in asymptomatic infections and subsequent first febrile infections using amplicon sequencing (AmpSeq) of ama1 in Coastal Kenya. We also examined temporal changes in haplotype frequencies of mdr1, a drug-resistant marker. Results We found >60% of the infections were polyclonal (complexity of infection [COI] >1) and there was a reduction in COI over time. Asymptomatic infections had a significantly higher mean COI than febrile infections based on ama1 sequences (2.7 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 2.65–2.77] vs 2.22 [95% CI, 2.17–2.29], respectively). Moreover, an analysis of 30 paired asymptomatic and first febrile infections revealed that many first febrile infections (91%) were due to the presence of new ama1 haplotypes. The mdr1-YY haplotype, associated with chloroquine and amodiaquine resistance, decreased over time, while the NY (wild type) and the NF (modulates response to lumefantrine) haplotypes increased. Conclusions This study emphasizes the utility of AmpSeq in characterizing parasite diversity as it can determine relative proportions of clones and detect minority clones. The usefulness of AmpSeq in antimalarial drug resistance surveillance is also highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Wamae
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Kelvin M. Kimenyi
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Victor Osoti
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | | | - Oksana Kharabora
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nicholas J. Hathaway
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey A. Bailey
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Juliano
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Philip Bejon
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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17
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Kunasol C, Dondorp AM, Batty EM, Nakhonsri V, Sinjanakhom P, Day NPJ, Imwong M. Comparative analysis of targeted next-generation sequencing for Plasmodium falciparum drug resistance markers. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5563. [PMID: 35365711 PMCID: PMC8974807 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09474-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Well-defined molecular resistance markers are available for a range of antimalarial drugs, and molecular surveillance is increasingly important for monitoring antimalarial drug resistance. Different genotyping platforms are available, but these have not been compared in detail. We compared Targeted Amplicon Deep sequencing (TADs) using Ion Torrent PGM with Illumina MiSeq for the typing of antimalarial drug resistance genes. We developed and validated protocols to type the molecular resistance markers pfcrt, pfdhfr, pfdhps, pfmdr1, pfkelch, and pfcytochrome b, in Plasmodium falciparum for the Ion Torrent PGM and Illumina MiSeq sequencing platforms. With P. falciparum 3D7 and K1 as reference strains, whole blood samples (N = 20) and blood spots from Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) samples (N = 5) from patients with uncomplicated falciparum malaria from Ubon Ratchathani were assessed on both platforms and compared for coverage (average reads per amplicon), sequencing accuracy, variant accuracy, false positive rate, false negative rate, and alternative allele detection, with conventional Sanger sequencing as the reference method for SNP calling. Both whole blood and RDT samples could be successfully sequenced using the Ion Torrent PGM and Illumina MiSeq platforms. Coverage of reads per amplicon was higher with Illumina MiSeq (28,886 reads) than with Ion Torrent PGM (1754 reads). In laboratory generated artificial mixed infections, the two platforms could detect the minor allele down to 1% density at 500X coverage. SNPs calls from both platforms were in complete agreement with conventional Sanger sequencing. The methods can be multiplexed with up to 96 samples per run, which reduces cost by 86% compared to conventional Sanger sequencing. Both platforms, using the developed TAD protocols, provide an accurate method for molecular surveillance of drug resistance markers in P. falciparum, but Illumina MiSeq provides higher coverage than Ion Torrent PGM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chanon Kunasol
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Rd., Bangkok, 10400, Thailand.,Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Arjen M Dondorp
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Elizabeth M Batty
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Vorthunju Nakhonsri
- National Biobank of Thailand (NBT), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), 144 Innovation Cluster 2 Building (INC) Tower A, Thailand Science Park, Khlong Nueng, Khlong Luang District, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Puritat Sinjanakhom
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Rd., Bangkok, 10400, Thailand
| | - Nicholas P J Day
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mallika Imwong
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajvithi Rd., Bangkok, 10400, Thailand. .,Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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18
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Castañeda-Mogollón D, Kamaliddin C, Fine L, Oberding LK, Pillai DR. SARS-CoV-2 variant detection with ADSSpike. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2022; 102:115606. [PMID: 34963097 PMCID: PMC8608664 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic has been an unprecedented challenge to global pandemic response and preparedness. With the continuous appearance of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, it is imperative to implement tools for genomic surveillance and diagnosis in order to decrease viral transmission and prevalence. The ADSSpike workflow was developed with the goal of identifying signature SNPs from the S gene associated with SARS-CoV-2 variants through amplicon deep sequencing. Seventy-two samples were sequenced, and 30 mutations were identified. Among those, signature SNPs were linked to 2 Zeta-VOI (P.2) samples and one to the Alpha-VOC (B.1.17). An average depth of 700 reads was found to properlycorrectly identify all SNPs and deletions pertinent to SARS-CoV-2 mutants. ADSSpike is the first workflow to provide a practical, cost-effective, and scalable solution to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 VOC/VOI in the clinical laboratory, adding a valuable tool to public health measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic for approximately $41.85 USD/reaction.
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19
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Man I, Bogaards JA, Makwana K, Trzciński K, Auranen K. Approximate likelihood-based estimation method of multiple-type pathogen interactions: An application to longitudinal pneumococcal carriage data. Stat Med 2022; 41:981-993. [PMID: 35083763 PMCID: PMC9302632 DOI: 10.1002/sim.9305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
While the serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae are known to compete during colonization in human hosts, our knowledge of how competition occurs is still incomplete. New insights of pneumococcal between‐type competition could be generated from carriage data obtained by molecular‐based detection methods, which record more complete sets of serotypes involved in co‐carriage than when detection is done by culture. Here, we develop a Bayesian estimation method for inferring between‐type interactions from longitudinal data recording the presence/absence of the types at discrete observation times. It allows inference from data containing co‐carriage of two or more serotypes, which is often the case when pneumococcal presence is determined by molecular‐based methods. The computational burden posed by the increased number of types detected in co‐carriage is addressed by approximating the likelihood under a multi‐state model with the likelihood of only those trajectories with minimum number of acquisition and clearance events between observation times. The proposed method's performance was validated on simulated data. The estimates of the interaction parameters of acquisition and clearance were unbiased in settings with short sampling intervals between observation times. With less frequent sampling, the estimates of the interaction parameters became more biased, but their ratio, which summarizes the total interaction, remained unbiased. Confounding due to unobserved heterogeneity in exposure could be corrected by including individual‐level random effects. In an application to empirical data about pneumococcal carriage in infants, we found new evidence for between‐serotype competition in clearance, although the effect size was small.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Man
- Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Julius Centre, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Johannes A Bogaards
- Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Department of Epidemiology & Data Science, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kishan Makwana
- Centre for Infectious Diseases Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Krzysztof Trzciński
- Department of Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Wilhelmina's Children Hospital, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Kari Auranen
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
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20
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Should deep-sequenced amplicons become the new gold-standard for analysing malaria drug clinical trials? Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2021; 65:e0043721. [PMID: 34252299 PMCID: PMC8448141 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00437-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory clinical trials are required to ensure the continued supply and deployment of effective antimalarial drugs. Patient follow-up in such trials typically lasts several weeks, as the drugs have long half-lives and new infections often occur during this period. “Molecular correction” is therefore used to distinguish drug failures from new infections. The current WHO-recommended method for molecular correction uses length-polymorphic alleles at highly diverse loci but is inherently poor at detecting low-density clones in polyclonal infections. This likely leads to substantial underestimates of failure rates, delaying the replacement of failing drugs with potentially lethal consequences. Deep-sequenced amplicons (AmpSeq) substantially increase the detectability of low-density clones and may offer a new “gold standard” for molecular correction. Pharmacological simulation of clinical trials was used to evaluate the suitability of AmpSeq for molecular correction. We investigated the impact of factors such as the number of amplicon loci analyzed, the informatics criteria used to distinguish genotyping “noise” from real low-density signals, the local epidemiology of malaria transmission, and the potential impact of genetic signals from gametocytes. AmpSeq greatly improved molecular correction and provided accurate drug failure rate estimates. The use of 3 to 5 amplicons was sufficient, and simple, nonstatistical criteria could be used to classify recurrent infections as drug failures or new infections. These results suggest AmpSeq is strongly placed to become the new standard for molecular correction in regulatory trials, with potential extension into routine surveillance once the requisite technical support becomes established.
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21
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Systematic review of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax polyclonal infections: Impact of prevalence, study population characteristics, and laboratory procedures. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249382. [PMID: 34115783 PMCID: PMC8195386 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple infections of genetically distinct clones of the same Plasmodium species are common in many malaria endemic settings. Mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) and the proportion of polyclonal infections are often reported as surrogate marker of transmission intensity, yet the relationship with traditional measures such as parasite prevalence is not well understood. We have searched Pubmed for articles on P. falciparum and P. vivax multiplicity, and compared the proportion of polyclonal infections and mean MOI to population prevalence. The impact of the genotyping method, number of genotyping markers, method for diagnosis (microscopy/RDT vs. PCR), presence of clinical symptoms, age, geographic region, and year of sample collection on multiplicity indices were assessed. For P. falciparum, 153 studies met inclusion criteria, yielding 275 individual data points and 33,526 genotyped individuals. The proportion of polyclonal infections ranged from 0–96%, and mean MOI from 1–6.1. For P. vivax, 54 studies met inclusion criteria, yielding 115 data points and 13,325 genotyped individuals. The proportion of polyclonal infections ranged from 0–100%, and mean MOI from 1–3.8. For both species, the proportion of polyclonal infections ranged from very low to close to 100% at low prevalence, while at high prevalence it was always high. Each percentage point increase in prevalence resulted in a 0.34% increase in the proportion of polyclonal P. falciparum infections (P<0.001), and a 0.78% increase in the proportion of polyclonal P. vivax infections (P<0.001). In multivariable analysis, higher prevalence, typing multiple markers, diagnosis of infections by PCR, and sampling in Africa were found to result in a higher proportion of P. falciparum polyclonal infections. For P. vivax, prevalence, year of study, typing multiple markers, and geographic region were significant predictors. In conclusion, polyclonal infections are frequently present in all settings, but the association between multiplicity and prevalence is weak.
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22
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Mitchell RM, Zhou Z, Sheth M, Sergent S, Frace M, Nayak V, Hu B, Gimnig J, Ter Kuile F, Lindblade K, Slutsker L, Hamel MJ, Desai M, Otieno K, Kariuki S, Vigfusson Y, Shi YP. Development of a new barcode-based, multiplex-PCR, next-generation-sequencing assay and data processing and analytical pipeline for multiplicity of infection detection of Plasmodium falciparum. Malar J 2021; 20:92. [PMID: 33593329 PMCID: PMC7885407 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-021-03624-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Simultaneous infection with multiple malaria parasite strains is common in high transmission areas. Quantifying the number of strains per host, or the multiplicity of infection (MOI), provides additional parasite indices for assessing transmission levels but it is challenging to measure accurately with current tools. This paper presents new laboratory and analytical methods for estimating the MOI of Plasmodium falciparum. METHODS Based on 24 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously identified as stable, unlinked targets across 12 of the 14 chromosomes within P. falciparum genome, three multiplex PCRs of short target regions and subsequent next generation sequencing (NGS) of the amplicons were developed. A bioinformatics pipeline including B4Screening pathway removed spurious amplicons to ensure consistent frequency calls at each SNP location, compiled amplicons by SNP site diversity, and performed algorithmic haplotype and strain reconstruction. The pipeline was validated by 108 samples generated from cultured-laboratory strain mixtures in different proportions and concentrations, with and without pre-amplification, and using whole blood and dried blood spots (DBS). The pipeline was applied to 273 smear-positive samples from surveys conducted in western Kenya, then providing results into StrainRecon Thresholding for Infection Multiplicity (STIM), a novel MOI estimator. RESULTS The 24 barcode SNPs were successfully identified uniformly across the 12 chromosomes of P. falciparum in a sample using the pipeline. Pre-amplification and parasite concentration, while non-linearly associated with SNP read depth, did not influence the SNP frequency calls. Based on consistent SNP frequency calls at targeted locations, the algorithmic strain reconstruction for each laboratory-mixed sample had 98.5% accuracy in dominant strains. STIM detected up to 5 strains in field samples from western Kenya and showed declining MOI over time (q < 0.02), from 4.32 strains per infected person in 1996 to 4.01, 3.56 and 3.35 in 2001, 2007 and 2012, and a reduction in the proportion of samples with 5 strains from 57% in 1996 to 18% in 2012. CONCLUSION The combined approach of new multiplex PCRs and NGS, the unique bioinformatics pipeline and STIM could identify 24 barcode SNPs of P. falciparum correctly and consistently. The methodology could be applied to field samples to reliably measure temporal changes in MOI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Mitchell
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
- School of Nursing, Emory University, Atlanta, USA
| | - Zhiyong Zhou
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
| | - Mili Sheth
- Biotechnology Core Facility Branch, Division of Scientific Resources, CDC, Atlanta, USA
| | - Sheila Sergent
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
| | - Michael Frace
- Biotechnology Core Facility Branch, Division of Scientific Resources, CDC, Atlanta, USA
| | - Vishal Nayak
- Office of Infectious Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, USA
| | - Bin Hu
- Office of Infectious Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC, Atlanta, USA
| | - John Gimnig
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
| | | | - Kim Lindblade
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
| | - Laurence Slutsker
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
| | - Mary J Hamel
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
| | - Meghna Desai
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA
| | - Kephas Otieno
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Simon Kariuki
- Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Ymir Vigfusson
- Department of Computer Science, Emory University, Atlanta, USA.
| | - Ya Ping Shi
- Division of Parasitic Diseases, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA.
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23
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Briggs J, Teyssier N, Nankabirwa JI, Rek J, Jagannathan P, Arinaitwe E, Bousema T, Drakeley C, Murray M, Crawford E, Hathaway N, Staedke SG, Smith D, Rosenthal PJ, Kamya M, Dorsey G, Rodriguez-Barraquer I, Greenhouse B. Sex-based differences in clearance of chronic Plasmodium falciparum infection. eLife 2020; 9:59872. [PMID: 33107430 PMCID: PMC7591246 DOI: 10.7554/elife.59872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies have reported a male bias in incidence and/or prevalence of malaria infection in males compared to females. To test the hypothesis that sex-based differences in host-parasite interactions affect the epidemiology of malaria, we intensively followed Plasmodium falciparum infections in a cohort in a malaria endemic area of eastern Uganda and estimated both force of infection (FOI) and rate of clearance using amplicon deep-sequencing. We found no evidence of differences in behavioral risk factors, incidence of malaria, or FOI by sex. In contrast, females cleared asymptomatic infections at a faster rate than males (hazard ratio [HR]=1.82, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.75 by clone and HR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.24 to 3.47 by infection event) in multivariate models adjusted for age, timing of infection onset, and parasite density. These findings implicate biological sex-based differences as an important factor in the host response to this globally important pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Briggs
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Noam Teyssier
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Joaniter I Nankabirwa
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda.,Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - John Rek
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Emmanuel Arinaitwe
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda.,Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Teun Bousema
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Drakeley
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Margaret Murray
- Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, United States
| | | | - Nicholas Hathaway
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, United States
| | - Sarah G Staedke
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - David Smith
- Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
| | - Phillip J Rosenthal
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | - Moses Kamya
- Infectious Diseases Research Collaboration, Kampala, Uganda.,Department of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Grant Dorsey
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
| | | | - Bryan Greenhouse
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States
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24
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Hemming-Schroeder E, Zhong D, Kibret S, Chie A, Lee MC, Zhou G, Atieli H, Githeko A, Kazura JW, Yan G. Microgeographic Epidemiology of Malaria Parasites in an Irrigated Area of Western Kenya by Deep Amplicon Sequencing. J Infect Dis 2020; 223:1456-1465. [PMID: 32803223 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
To improve food security, investments in irrigated agriculture are anticipated to increase throughout Africa. However, the extent to which environmental changes from water resource development will impact malaria epidemiology remains unclear. This study was designed to compare the sensitivity of molecular markers used in deep amplicon sequencing for evaluating malaria transmission intensities and to assess malaria transmission intensity at various proximities to an irrigation scheme. Compared to ama1, csp, and msp1 amplicons, cpmp required the smallest sample size to detect differences in infection complexity between transmission risk zones. Transmission intensity was highest within 5 km of the irrigation scheme by polymerase chain reaction positivity rate, infection complexity, and linkage disequilibrium. The irrigated area provided a source of parasite infections for the surrounding 2- to 10-km area. This study highlights the suitability of the cpmp amplicon as a measure for transmission intensities and the impact of irrigation on microgeographic epidemiology of malaria parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Hemming-Schroeder
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.,Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Daibin Zhong
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Solomon Kibret
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Amanda Chie
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Ming-Chieh Lee
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Guofa Zhou
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Harrysone Atieli
- School of Public Health and Community Development, Maseno University, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Andrew Githeko
- Center for Global Health Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - James W Kazura
- Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Guiyun Yan
- Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
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25
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Noviyanti R, Miotto O, Barry A, Marfurt J, Siegel S, Thuy-Nhien N, Quang HH, Anggraeni ND, Laihad F, Liu Y, Sumiwi ME, Trimarsanto H, Coutrier F, Fadila N, Ghanchi N, Johora FT, Puspitasari AM, Tavul L, Trianty L, Utami RAS, Wang D, Wangchuck K, Price RN, Auburn S. Implementing parasite genotyping into national surveillance frameworks: feedback from control programmes and researchers in the Asia-Pacific region. Malar J 2020; 19:271. [PMID: 32718342 PMCID: PMC7385952 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-020-03330-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The Asia-Pacific region faces formidable challenges in achieving malaria elimination by the proposed target in 2030. Molecular surveillance of Plasmodium parasites can provide important information on malaria transmission and adaptation, which can inform national malaria control programmes (NMCPs) in decision-making processes. In November 2019 a parasite genotyping workshop was held in Jakarta, Indonesia, to review molecular approaches for parasite surveillance and explore ways in which these tools can be integrated into public health systems and inform policy. The meeting was attended by 70 participants from 8 malaria-endemic countries and partners of the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network. The participants acknowledged the utility of multiple use cases for parasite genotyping including: quantifying the prevalence of drug resistant parasites, predicting risks of treatment failure, identifying major routes and reservoirs of infection, monitoring imported malaria and its contribution to local transmission, characterizing the origins and dynamics of malaria outbreaks, and estimating the frequency of Plasmodium vivax relapses. However, the priority of each use case varies with different endemic settings. Although a one-size-fits-all approach to molecular surveillance is unlikely to be applicable across the Asia-Pacific region, consensus on the spectrum of added-value activities will help support data sharing across national boundaries. Knowledge exchange is needed to establish local expertise in different laboratory-based methodologies and bioinformatics processes. Collaborative research involving local and international teams will help maximize the impact of analytical outputs on the operational needs of NMCPs. Research is also needed to explore the cost-effectiveness of genetic epidemiology for different use cases to help to leverage funding for wide-scale implementation. Engagement between NMCPs and local researchers will be critical throughout this process.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olivo Miotto
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Genomics and Global Health, Big Data Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alyssa Barry
- School of Medicine, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Jutta Marfurt
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Sasha Siegel
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Nguyen Thuy-Nhien
- Centre for Tropical Medicine, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Huynh Hong Quang
- Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, Quy Nhon, Vietnam
| | | | | | - Yaobao Liu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China
| | | | | | - Farah Coutrier
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Nadia Fadila
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Najia Ghanchi
- Pathology, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan
| | - Fatema Tuj Johora
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Bangladesh Mohakhali, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Livingstone Tavul
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Leily Trianty
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Duoquan Wang
- National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai, China
| | - Kesang Wangchuck
- Royal Center for Disease Control, Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Thimphu, Bhutan
| | - Ric N Price
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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26
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Strengthening Surveillance Systems for Malaria Elimination by Integrating Molecular and Genomic Data. Trop Med Infect Dis 2019; 4:tropicalmed4040139. [PMID: 31816974 PMCID: PMC6958499 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed4040139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Unprecedented efforts in malaria control over the last 15 years have led to a substantial decrease in both morbidity and mortality in most endemic settings. However, these progresses have stalled over recent years, and resurgence may cause dramatic impact on both morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, elimination efforts are currently going on with the objective of reducing malaria morbidity and mortality by 90% and malaria elimination in at least 35 countries by 2030. Strengthening surveillance systems is of paramount importance to reach those targets, and the integration of molecular and genomic techniques into routine surveillance could substantially improve the quality and robustness of data. Techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) are increasingly available in malaria endemic countries, whereas others such as sequencing are already available in a few laboratories. However, sequencing, especially next-generation sequencing (NGS), requires sophisticated infrastructure with adequate computing power and highly trained personnel for data analysis that require substantial investment. Different techniques will be required for different applications, and cost-effective planning must ensure the appropriate use of available resources. The development of national and sub-regional reference laboratories could help in minimizing the resources required in terms of equipment and trained staff. Concerted efforts from different stakeholders at national, sub-regional, and global level are needed to develop the required framework to establish and maintain these reference laboratories.
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27
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Gruenberg M, Lerch A, Beck HP, Felger I. Amplicon deep sequencing improves Plasmodium falciparum genotyping in clinical trials of antimalarial drugs. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17790. [PMID: 31780741 PMCID: PMC6883076 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54203-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Clinical trials monitoring malaria drug resistance require genotyping of recurrent Plasmodium falciparum parasites to distinguish between treatment failure and new infection occurring during the trial follow up period. Because trial participants usually harbour multi-clonal P. falciparum infections, deep amplicon sequencing (AmpSeq) was employed to improve sensitivity and reliability of minority clone detection. Paired samples from 32 drug trial participants were Illumina deep-sequenced for five molecular markers. Reads were analysed by custom-made software HaplotypR and trial outcomes compared to results from the previous standard genotyping method based on length-polymorphic markers. Diversity of AmpSeq markers in pre-treatment samples was comparable or higher than length-polymorphic markers. AmpSeq was highly reproducible with consistent quantification of co-infecting parasite clones within a host. Outcomes of the three best-performing markers, cpmp, cpp and ama1-D3, agreed in 26/32 (81%) of patients. Discordance between the three markers performed per sample was much lower by AmpSeq (six patients) compared to length-polymorphic markers (eleven patients). Using AmpSeq for discrimination of recrudescence and new infection in antimalarial drug trials provides highly reproducible and robust characterization of clone dynamics during trial follow-up. AmpSeq overcomes limitations inherent to length-polymorphic markers. Regulatory clinical trials of antimalarial drugs will greatly benefit from this unbiased typing method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gruenberg
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anita Lerch
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, USA
| | - Hans-Peter Beck
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ingrid Felger
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland.
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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28
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Cheaveau J, Mogollon DC, Mohon MAN, Golassa L, Yewhalaw D, Pillai DR. Asymptomatic malaria in the clinical and public health context. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther 2019; 17:997-1010. [PMID: 31718324 DOI: 10.1080/14787210.2019.1693259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Introduction: Historically, the global community has focused on the control of symptomatic malaria. However, interest in asymptomatic malaria has been growing, particularly in the context of malaria elimination.Areas covered: We undertook a comprehensive PubMed literature review on asymptomatic malaria as it relates to detection and elimination with emphasis between 2014 and 2019. Diagnostic tools with a low limit of detection (LOD) have allowed us to develop a more detailed understanding of asymptomatic malaria and its impact. These highly sensitive diagnostics have demonstrated that the prevalence of asymptomatic malaria is greater than previously thought. In addition, it is now possible to detect the malaria reservoir in the community, something that was previously not feasible. Asymptomatic malaria has previously not been treated, but research has begun to examine whether treating individuals with asymptomatic malaria may lead to health benefits. Finally, we have begun to understand the importance of asymptomatic malaria in ongoing transmission.Expert opinion: Therefore, with malaria elimination back on the agenda, asymptomatic malaria can no longer be ignored, especially in light of new ultra-sensitive diagnostic tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Cheaveau
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Canada, AB, Canada
| | - Daniel Castaneda Mogollon
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Canada, AB, Canada
| | - Md Abu Naser Mohon
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Canada, AB, Canada
| | - Lemu Golassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Pathology, College of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Dylan R Pillai
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University of Calgary, Canada, AB, Canada.,Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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29
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Kimenyi KM, Wamae K, Ochola-Oyier LI. Understanding P. falciparum Asymptomatic Infections: A Proposition for a Transcriptomic Approach. Front Immunol 2019; 10:2398. [PMID: 31681289 PMCID: PMC6803459 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is still a significant public health burden in the tropics. Infection with malaria causing parasites results in a wide range of clinical disease presentations, from severe to uncomplicated or mild, and in the poorly understood asymptomatic infections. The complexity of asymptomatic infections is due to the intricate interplay between factors derived from the human host, parasite, and environment. Asymptomatic infections often go undetected and provide a silent natural reservoir that sustains malaria transmission. This creates a major obstacle for malaria control and elimination efforts. Numerous studies have tried to characterize asymptomatic infections, unanimously revealing that host immunity is the underlying factor in the maintenance of these infections and in the risk of developing febrile malaria infections. An in-depth understanding of how host immunity and parasite factors interact to cause malaria disease tolerance is thus required. This review primarily focuses on understanding anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory responses to asymptomatic infections in malaria endemic areas, to present the view that it is potentially the shift in host immunity toward an anti-inflammatory profile that maintains asymptomatic infections after multiple exposures to malaria. Conversely, symptomatic infections are skewed toward a pro-inflammatory immune profile. Moreover, we propose that these infections can be better interrogated using next generation sequencing technologies, in particular RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), to investigate the immune system using the transcriptome sampled during a clearly defined asymptomatic infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin M Kimenyi
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, CGMRC, Kilifi, Kenya.,Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Kevin Wamae
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, CGMRC, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Lynette Isabella Ochola-Oyier
- KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, CGMRC, Kilifi, Kenya.,Pwani University Bioscience Research Centre, Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
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30
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Earland D, Buchwald AG, Sixpence A, Chimenya M, Damson M, Seydel KB, Mathanga DP, Taylor TE, Laufer MK. Impact of Multiplicity of Plasmodium falciparum Infection on Clinical Disease in Malawi. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2019; 101:412-415. [PMID: 31219007 PMCID: PMC6685583 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiplicity of infection (MOI), the number of unique Plasmodium falciparum parasite genotypes found in one infected individual, may contribute to the development of clinical malaria disease. However, the independent contribution of MOI and parasite density to clinical disease has not been well characterized. We conducted a two-year longitudinal cohort study of adults and children in a high-transmission setting in Malawi to test the hypothesis that increased MOI was independently associated with clinical disease, after accounting for parasite density. Of 1,062 episodes of infection, 477 (44.9%) were associated with symptoms. After controlling for repeated measures within an individual, key demographic factors, and parasite density, there was no association between MOI and clinical disease (OR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.70-1.51). Although the limited ability to discern MOI in low-density asymptomatic infections may have impacted our results, we conclude that MOI is not an independent risk factor for clinical disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominique Earland
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Andrea G. Buchwald
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alick Sixpence
- Malaria Alert Centre, Communicable Disease Action Centre, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Mabvuto Chimenya
- Malaria Alert Centre, Communicable Disease Action Centre, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Milius Damson
- Malaria Alert Centre, Communicable Disease Action Centre, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Karl B. Seydel
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Don P. Mathanga
- Malaria Alert Centre, Communicable Disease Action Centre, University of Malawi College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Terrie E. Taylor
- College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Miriam K. Laufer
- Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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Dalmat R, Naughton B, Kwan-Gett TS, Slyker J, Stuckey EM. Use cases for genetic epidemiology in malaria elimination. Malar J 2019; 18:163. [PMID: 31064369 PMCID: PMC6503548 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-019-2784-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While traditional epidemiological approaches have supported significant reductions in malaria incidence across many countries, higher resolution information about local and regional malaria epidemiology will be needed to efficiently target interventions for elimination. The application of genetic epidemiological methods for the analysis of parasite genetics has, thus far, primarily been confined to research settings. To illustrate how these technical methods can be used to advance programmatic and operational needs of National Malaria Control Programmes (NMCPs), and accelerate global progress to eradication, this manuscript presents seven use cases for which genetic epidemiology approaches to parasite genetic data are informative to the decision-making of NMCPs. Methods The use cases were developed through a highly iterative process that included an extensive review of the literature and global guidance documents, including the 2017 World Health Organization’s Framework for Malaria Elimination, and collection of stakeholder input. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with programmatic and technical experts about the needs and opportunities for genetic epidemiology methods in malaria elimination. Results Seven use cases were developed: Detect resistance, Assess drug resistance gene flow, Assess transmission intensity, Identify foci, Determine connectivity of parasite populations, Identify imported cases, and Characterize local transmission chains. The method currently used to provide the information sought, population unit for implementation, the pre-conditions for using these approaches, and post-conditions intended as a product of the use case were identified for each use case. Discussion This framework of use cases will prioritize research and development of genetic epidemiology methods that best achieve the goals of NMCPs, and ultimately, inform the establishment of normative policy guidance for their uses. With significant engagement of stakeholders from malaria endemic countries and collaboration with local programme experts to ensure strategic implementation, genetic epidemiological approaches have tremendous potential to accelerate global malaria elimination efforts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-019-2784-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Dalmat
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Strategic Analysis Research and Training Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Brienna Naughton
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Strategic Analysis Research and Training Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett
- Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Strategic Analysis Research and Training Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jennifer Slyker
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Strategic Analysis Research and Training Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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