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Fornace KM, Zorello Laporta G, Vythilingham I, Chua TH, Ahmed K, Jeyaprakasam NK, de Castro Duarte AMR, Amir A, Phang WK, Drakeley C, Sallum MAM, Lau YL. Simian malaria: a narrative review on emergence, epidemiology and threat to global malaria elimination. THE LANCET. INFECTIOUS DISEASES 2023; 23:e520-e532. [PMID: 37454671 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(23)00298-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Simian malaria from wild non-human primate populations is increasingly recognised as a public health threat and is now the main cause of human malaria in Malaysia and some regions of Brazil. In 2022, Malaysia became the first country not to achieve malaria elimination due to zoonotic simian malaria. We review the global distribution and drivers of simian malaria and identify priorities for diagnosis, treatment, surveillance, and control. Environmental change is driving closer interactions between humans and wildlife, with malaria parasites from non-human primates spilling over into human populations and human malaria parasites spilling back into wild non-human primate populations. These complex transmission cycles require new molecular and epidemiological approaches to track parasite spread. Current methods of malaria control are ineffective, with wildlife reservoirs and primarily outdoor-biting mosquito vectors urgently requiring the development of novel control strategies. Without these, simian malaria has the potential to undermine malaria elimination globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly M Fornace
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore; Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Gabriel Zorello Laporta
- Graduate Research and Innovation Program, Centro Universitario FMABC, Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | - Kamruddin Ahmed
- Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia; Borneo Medical and Health Research Centre, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Nantha K Jeyaprakasam
- Biomedical Science Programme, Center for Toxicology and Health Risk Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ana Maria Ribeiro de Castro Duarte
- Laboratory of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine of São Paulo, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Instituto Pasteur, Secretaria de Estado da Saude de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Amirah Amir
- Department of Parasitology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Wei Kit Phang
- Department of Parasitology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chris Drakeley
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Maria Anice M Sallum
- Departamento de Epidemiologia, Faculdade de Saude Publica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Yee Ling Lau
- Department of Parasitology, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Gutiérrez-Jara JP, Vogt-Geisse K, Cabrera M. Collateral Effects of Insecticide-Treated Nets on Human and Environmental Safety in an Epidemiological Model for Malaria with Human Risk Perception. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:16327. [PMID: 36498399 PMCID: PMC9740485 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192316327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Malaria remains a major health problem in many parts of the world, including Sub-Saharan Africa. Insecticide-treated nets, in combination with other control measures, have been effective in reducing malaria incidence over the past two decades. Nevertheless, there are concerns about improper handling and misuse of nets, producing possible health effects from intoxication and collateral environmental damage. The latter is caused, for instance, from artisanal fishing. We formulate a model of impulsive differential equations to describe the interplay between malaria dynamics, human intoxication, and ecosystem damage; affected by human awareness to these risks and levels of net usage. Our results show that an increase in mosquito net coverage reduces malaria prevalence and increases human intoxications. In addition, a high net coverage significantly reduces the risk perception to disease, naturally increases the awareness for intoxications from net handling, and scarcely increases the risk perception to collateral damage from net fishing. According to our model, campaigns aiming at reducing disease prevalence or intoxications are much more successful than those creating awareness to ecosystem damage. Furthermore, we can observe from our results that introducing closed fishing periods reduces environmental damage more significantly than strategies directed towards increasing the risk perception for net fishing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Pablo Gutiérrez-Jara
- Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados del Maule (CIEAM), Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca 3480112, Chile
| | - Katia Vogt-Geisse
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago 7941169, Chile
| | - Maritza Cabrera
- Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados del Maule (CIEAM), Vicerrectoría de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca 3480112, Chile
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3
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Chaves BA, de Alvarenga DAM, Pereira MDOC, Gordo M, Da Silva EL, Costa ER, Medeiros ASDM, Pedrosa IJM, Brito D, Lima MT, Mourão MP, Monteiro WM, Vasilakis N, de Brito CFA, Melo GC, Lacerda MVG. Is zoonotic Plasmodium vivax malaria an obstacle for disease elimination? Malar J 2022; 21:343. [PMID: 36397077 PMCID: PMC9673391 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04349-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The groundwork for malaria elimination does not currently consider the potential of Plasmodium zoonotic cycles that involve non-human primates (NHPs) in sylvatic environments. Since vivax malaria is less responsive to control measures, finding Plasmodium vivax infected NHPs adds even more concern.
Methods
Both Free-living monkeys in forest fragments inside the urban area and captive monkeys from a local zoo had blood samples tested for Plasmodium species.
Results
In this study, among the Neotropical monkeys tested, three (4.4%), one captive and two free-living, were found to be naturally infected by P. vivax.
Conclusion
This important finding indicates that it is necessary to estimate the extent to which P. vivax NHP infection contributes to the maintenance of malaria transmission to humans. Therefore, the discussion on wildlife conservation and management must be incorporated into the malaria elimination agenda.
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Fuehrer HP, Campino S, Sutherland CJ. The primate malaria parasites Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium ovale spp.: genomic insights into distribution, dispersal and host transitions. Malar J 2022; 21:138. [PMID: 35505317 PMCID: PMC9066925 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04151-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
During the twentieth century, there was an explosion in understanding of the malaria parasites infecting humans and wild primates. This was built on three main data sources: from detailed descriptive morphology, from observational histories of induced infections in captive primates, syphilis patients, prison inmates and volunteers, and from clinical and epidemiological studies in the field. All three were wholly dependent on parasitological information from blood-film microscopy, and The Primate Malarias” by Coatney and colleagues (1971) provides an overview of this knowledge available at that time. Here, 50 years on, a perspective from the third decade of the twenty-first century is presented on two pairs of primate malaria parasite species. Included is a near-exhaustive summary of the recent and current geographical distribution for each of these four species, and of the underlying molecular and genomic evidence for each. The important role of host transitions in the radiation of Plasmodium spp. is discussed, as are any implications for the desired elimination of all malaria species in human populations. Two important questions are posed, requiring further work on these often ignored taxa. Is Plasmodium brasilianum, circulating among wild simian hosts in the Americas, a distinct species from Plasmodium malariae? Can new insights into the genomic differences between Plasmodium ovale curtisi and Plasmodium ovale wallikeri be linked to any important differences in parasite morphology, cell biology or clinical and epidemiological features?
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans-Peter Fuehrer
- Institute of Parasitology, Department of Pathobiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susana Campino
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Colin J Sutherland
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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Farinas MDLRN, Aschar M, Costa-Nascimento MDJ, Di Santi SM. An algorithm based on molecular protocols to improve the detection of Plasmodium in autochthonous malarial areas in the Atlantic Forest biome. Rev Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo 2022; 64:e18. [PMID: 35239862 PMCID: PMC8901118 DOI: 10.1590/s1678-9946202264018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Malaria is the most important vector-borne disease in the world and a challenge for control programs. In Brazil, 99% of cases occur in the Amazon region. In the extra-Amazonian region, a non-endemic area, epidemiological surveillance focuses on imported malaria and on autochthonous outbreaks, including cases with mild symptoms and low parasitemia acquired in the Atlantic Forest biome. In this scenario, cases are likely to be underreported, since submicroscopic parasitemias are not detected by thick blood smear, considered the reference test. Molecular tests are more sensitive, detecting asymptomatic individuals and mixed infections. The aim of this study was to propose a more efficient alternative to detect asymptomatic individuals living in areas of low malaria endemicity, as they are reservoirs of Plasmodium that maintain transmission locally. In total, 955 blood samples from residents of 16 municipalities with autochthonous malaria outbreaks in the Sao Paulo State were analyzed; 371 samples were collected in EDTA tubes and 584 in filter paper. All samples were initially screened by a genus-specific qPCR targeting ssrRNA genes (limit of detection of 1 parasite/µL). Then, positive samples were subjected to a nested PCR targeting ssrRNA and dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase genes (limit of detection of 10 parasites/µL) to determine Plasmodium species. The results showed a statistically significant difference (K = 0.049; p < 0.0001) between microscopy positivity (6.9%) and qPCR (22.9%) for EDTA-blood samples. Conversely, for samples collected in filter paper, no statistical difference was observed, with 2.6% positivity by thick blood smear and 3.1% for qPCR (K = 0.036; p = 0.7). Samples positive by qPCR were assayed by a species-specific nested PCR that was in turn positive in 26% of samples (16 P. vivax and 4 P. malariae ). The results showed that molecular protocols applied to blood samples from residents in areas with autochthonous transmission of malaria were useful to detect asymptomatic patients who act as a source of transmission. The results showed that the genus-specific qPCR was useful for screening positives, with the subsequent identification of species by nested PCR. Additional improvements, such as standardization of blood plotting on filter paper and a more sensitive protocol for species determination, are essential. The qPCR-based algorithm for screening positives followed by nested PCR will contribute to more efficient control of malaria transmission, offering faster and more sensitive tools to detect asymptomatic Plasmodium reservoirs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Silvia Maria Di Santi
- Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil; Secretaria da Saúde de São Paulo, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
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Medeiros-Sousa AR, Laporta GZ, Coutinho RM, Mucci LF, Marrelli MT. A mathematical model for zoonotic transmission of malaria in the Atlantic Forest: Exploring the effects of variations in vector abundance and acrodendrophily. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2021; 15:e0008736. [PMID: 33591994 PMCID: PMC7909691 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0008736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmission foci of autochthonous malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax-like parasites have frequently been reported in the Atlantic Forest in Southeastern and Southern Brazil. Evidence suggests that malaria is a zoonosis in these areas as human infections by simian Plasmodium species have been detected, and the main vector of malaria in the Atlantic Forest, Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, can blood feed on human and simian hosts. In view of the lack of models that seek to predict the dynamics of zoonotic transmission in this part of the Atlantic Forest, the present study proposes a new deterministic mathematical model that includes a transmission compartment for non-human primates and parameters that take into account vector displacement between the upper and lower forest strata. The effects of variations in the abundance and acrodendrophily of An. cruzii on the prevalence of infected humans in the study area and the basic reproduction number (R0) for malaria were analyzed. The model parameters are based on the literature and fitting of the empirical data. Simulations performed with the model indicate that (1) an increase in the abundance of the vector in relation to the total number of blood-seeking mosquitoes leads to an asymptotic increase in both the proportion of infected individuals at steady state and R0; (2) the proportion of infected humans at steady state is higher when displacement of the vector mosquito between the forest strata increases; and (3) in most scenarios, Plasmodium transmission cannot be sustained only between mosquitoes and humans, which implies that non-human primates play an important role in maintaining the transmission cycle. The proposed model contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of malaria transmission in the Atlantic Forest.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gabriel Zorello Laporta
- Graduate Research and Innovation Program, Centro Universitário Saúde ABC (FMABC), Santo André, Brazil
| | - Renato Mendes Coutinho
- Center for Mathematics, Computation and Cognition (CMCC), Federal University of ABC, Santo André, Brazil
| | - Luis Filipe Mucci
- Superintendency for the Control of Endemic Diseases, State Health Secretariat, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mauro Toledo Marrelli
- Epidemiology Department, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
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Buery JC, de Alencar FEC, Duarte AMRDC, Loss AC, Vicente CR, Ferreira LM, Fux B, Medeiros MM, Cravo P, Arez AP, Cerutti Junior C. Atlantic Forest Malaria: A Review of More than 20 Years of Epidemiological Investigation. Microorganisms 2021; 9:132. [PMID: 33430150 PMCID: PMC7826787 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 12/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In the south and southeast regions of Brazil, cases of malaria occur outside the endemic Amazon region near the Atlantic Forest in some coastal states, where Plasmodium vivax is the recognized parasite. Characteristics of cases and vectors, especially Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, raise the hypothesis of a zoonosis with simians as reservoirs. The present review aims to report on investigations of the disease over a 23-year period. Two main sources have provided epidemiological data: the behavior of Anopheles vectors and the genetic and immunological aspects of Plasmodium spp. obtained from humans, Alouatta simians, and Anopheles spp. mosquitoes. Anopheles (K.) cruzii is the most captured species in the forest canopy and is the recognized vector. The similarity between P. vivax and Plasmodium simium and that between Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium brasilianum shared between simian and human hosts and the involvement of the same vector in the transmission to both hosts suggest interspecies transfer of the parasites. Finally, recent evidence points to the presence of Plasmodium falciparum in a silent cycle, detected only by molecular methods in asymptomatic individuals and An. (K.) cruzii. In the context of malaria elimination, it is paramount to assemble data about transmission in such non-endemic low-incidence areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julyana Cerqueira Buery
- Unidade de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória 29047-105, Brazil; (F.E.C.d.A.); (C.R.V.); (L.M.F.); (B.F.); (C.C.J.)
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.M.M.); (P.C.); (A.P.A.)
| | | | - Ana Maria Ribeiro de Castro Duarte
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo 05403-000, Brazil;
- Superintendência de Controle de Endemias do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo 01027-000, Brazil
| | - Ana Carolina Loss
- Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica, Santa Teresa 29650-000, Brazil;
| | - Creuza Rachel Vicente
- Unidade de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória 29047-105, Brazil; (F.E.C.d.A.); (C.R.V.); (L.M.F.); (B.F.); (C.C.J.)
| | - Lucas Mendes Ferreira
- Unidade de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória 29047-105, Brazil; (F.E.C.d.A.); (C.R.V.); (L.M.F.); (B.F.); (C.C.J.)
| | - Blima Fux
- Unidade de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória 29047-105, Brazil; (F.E.C.d.A.); (C.R.V.); (L.M.F.); (B.F.); (C.C.J.)
| | - Márcia Melo Medeiros
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.M.M.); (P.C.); (A.P.A.)
| | - Pedro Cravo
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.M.M.); (P.C.); (A.P.A.)
| | - Ana Paula Arez
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.M.M.); (P.C.); (A.P.A.)
| | - Crispim Cerutti Junior
- Unidade de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória 29047-105, Brazil; (F.E.C.d.A.); (C.R.V.); (L.M.F.); (B.F.); (C.C.J.)
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Ribeiro de Castro Duarte AM, Fernandes LN, Silva FS, Sicchi IL, Mucci LF, Curado I, Fernandes A, Medeiros-Sousa AR, Ceretti-Junior W, Marrelli MT, Evangelista E, Teixeira R, Summa JL, Nardi MS, Garnica MR, Loss AC, Buery JC, Cerutti Jr. C, Pacheco MA, Escalante AA, Mureb Sallum MA, Laporta GZ. Complexity of malaria transmission dynamics in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. CURRENT RESEARCH IN PARASITOLOGY & VECTOR-BORNE DISEASES 2021; 1:100032. [PMID: 35284897 PMCID: PMC8906072 DOI: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium vivax are protozoan parasites that can cause malaria in humans. They are genetically indistinguishable from, respectively, Plasmodium brasilianum and Plasmodium simium, i.e. parasites infecting New World non-human primates in South America. In the tropical rainforests of the Brazilian Atlantic coast, it has long been hypothesized that P. brasilianum and P. simium in platyrrhine primates originated from P. malariae and P. vivax in humans. A recent hypothesis proposed the inclusion of Plasmodium falciparum into the transmission dynamics between humans and non-human primates in the Brazilian Atlantic tropical rainforest. Herein, we assess the occurrence of human malaria in simians and sylvatic anophelines using field-collected samples in the Capivari-Monos Environmental Protection Area from 2015 to 2017. We first tested simian blood and anopheline samples. Two simian (Aloutta) blood samples (18%, n = 11) showed Plasmodium cytb DNA sequences, one for P. vivax and another for P. malariae. From a total of 9,416 anopheline females, we found 17 pools positive for Plasmodium species with a 18S qPCR assay. Only three showed P. cytb DNA sequence, one for P. vivax and the others for rodent malaria species (similar to Plasmodium chabaudi and Plasmodium berghei). Based on these results, we tested 25 rodent liver samples for the presence of Plasmodium and obtained P. falciparum cytb DNA sequence in a rodent (Oligoryzomys sp.) liver. The findings of this study indicate complex malaria transmission dynamics composed by parallel spillover-spillback of human malaria parasites, i.e. P. malariae, P. vivax, and P. falciparum, in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Human malaria parasites circulate in sylvatic cycles in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malariae identified in simian blood samples. Plasmodium falciparum detected in a rodent liver sample. Anopheline vectors found to carry human and rodent malaria parasites. Local vector ecology and biology are key to the spillover-spillback of human malaria parasites.
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de Abreu FVS, dos Santos E, Mello ARL, Gomes LR, de Alvarenga DAM, Gomes MQ, Vargas WP, Bianco-Júnior C, de Pina-Costa A, Teixeira DS, Romano APM, Manso PPDA, Pelajo-Machado M, Brasil P, Daniel-Ribeiro CT, de Brito CFA, Ferreira-da-Cruz MDF, Lourenço-de-Oliveira R. Howler monkeys are the reservoir of malarial parasites causing zoonotic infections in the Atlantic forest of Rio de Janeiro. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2019; 13:e0007906. [PMID: 31815937 PMCID: PMC6922453 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although malaria cases have substantially decreased in Southeast Brazil, a significant increase in the number of Plasmodium vivax-like autochthonous human cases has been reported in remote areas of the Atlantic Forest in the past few decades in Rio de Janeiro (RJ) state, including an outbreak during 2015-2016. The singular clinical and epidemiological aspects in several human cases, and collectively with molecular and genetic data, revealed that they were due to the non-human primate (NHP) parasite Plasmodium simium; however, the understanding of the autochthonous malarial epidemiology in Southeast Brazil can only be acquired by assessing the circulation of NHP Plasmodium in the foci and determining its hosts. METHODOLOGY A large sampling effort was carried out in the Atlantic forest of RJ and its bordering states (Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Espírito Santo) for collecting and examining free-living NHPs. Blood and/or viscera were analyzed for Plasmodium infections via molecular and microscopic techniques. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In total, 146 NHPs of six species, from 30 counties in four states, were tested, of which majority were collected from RJ. Howler monkeys (Alouatta clamitans) were the only species found infected. In RJ, 26% of these monkeys tested positive, of which 17% were found to be infected with P. simium. Importantly, specific single nucleotide polymorphisms-the only available genetic markers that differentiate P. simium from P. vivax-were detected in all P. simium infected A. clamitans despite their geographical origin of malarial foci. Interestingly, 71% of P. simium infected NHPs were from the coastal slope of a mountain chain (Serra do Mar), where majority of the human cases were found. Plasmodium brasilianum/malariae was initially detected in 14% and 25% free-living howler monkeys in RJ and in the Espírito Santo (ES) state, respectively. Moreover, the malarial pigment was detected in the spleen fragments of 50% of a subsample comprising dead howler monkeys in both RJ and ES. All NHPs were negative for Plasmodium falciparum. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Our data indicate that howler monkeys act as the main reservoir for the Atlantic forest human malarial parasites in RJ and other sites in Southeast Brazil and reinforce its zoonotic characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Vieira Santos de Abreu
- Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratório de comportamento de insetos, Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais, Salinas, MG, Brazil
| | - Edmilson dos Santos
- Divisão de Vigilância Ambiental em Saúde, Secretaria de Saúde do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Aline Rosa Lavigne Mello
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Larissa Rodrigues Gomes
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Marcelo Quintela Gomes
- Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Waldemir Paixão Vargas
- Grupo de Pesquisa e Epidemiologia Espacial, Departamento de Endemias Samuel Pessoa, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Cesare Bianco-Júnior
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Anielle de Pina-Costa
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratório de Doenças Febris Agudas, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Faculdade de Medicina de Teresópolis, Centro Universitário Serra dos Órgãos, UNIFESO, Teresópolis, RJ, Brazil
| | - Danilo Simonini Teixeira
- Núcleo de Atendimento e Pesquisa de Animais Silvestres, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, UESC, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Patrícia Brasil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Laboratório de Doenças Febris Agudas, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Cláudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | | - Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Lourenço-de-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Mosquitos Transmissores de Hematozoários, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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Increasing Complexity Threatens the Elimination of Extra-Amazonian Malaria in Brazil. Trends Parasitol 2019; 35:383-387. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2019.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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Medeiros-Sousa AR, de Oliveira Christe R, de Castro Duarte AMR, Mucci LF, Ceretti-Junior W, Marrelli MT. Effects of anthropogenic landscape changes on the abundance and acrodendrophily of Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, the main vector of malaria parasites in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Malar J 2019; 18:110. [PMID: 30940142 PMCID: PMC6444577 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-019-2744-8] [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: 12/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The mosquito Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii is the main vector of human and simian malaria in the Atlantic Forest. This species is usually abundant in the forests where it occurs, preferring to live and feed on canopies, behaviour known as acrodendrophily. However, in several studies and locations this species has been observed in high density near the ground in the forest. In this study, it was hypothesized that factors associated with anthropogenic landscape changes may be responsible for the variation in abundance and acrodendrophily observed in An. cruzii. Methods The study was conducted in a conservation unit in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Monthly entomological collections were performed from March 2015 to April 2017, and the resulting data were used with data from another study conducted in the same area between May 2009 and June 2010. Mosquitoes were collected from five sites using CDC and Shannon traps. Landscape composition and configuration metrics were measured, and generalized linear mixed-effect models were used to investigate the relationship between these metrics and variations in the abundance and acrodendrophily of An. cruzii. Results The model that showed the best fit for the relationship between landscape metrics and An. cruzii abundance suggests that an increase in the proportion of forest cover leads to an increase in the abundance of this mosquito, while the model that best explained variations in An. cruzii acrodendrophily suggests that an increase in total forest-edge length leads to greater activity by this species at ground level. Conclusion While the data indicate that changes in landscape due to human activities lead to a reduction in An. cruzii abundance, such changes may increase the contact rate between this species and humans living on the edges of forest fragments where An. cruzii is found. Future studies should, therefore, seek to elucidate the effect of these landscape changes on the dynamics of Plasmodium transmission in the Atlantic Forest, which according to some studies includes the participation of simian hosts. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12936-019-2744-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Luis Filipe Mucci
- Superintendency for the Control of Endemic Diseases (SUCEN), State Department of Health, São Paulo, Brazil
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Miguel RB, Albuquerque HG, Sanchez MCA, Coura JR, Santos SDS, Silva SD, Moreira CJDC, Suárez-Mutis MC. Asymptomatic Plasmodium infection in a residual malaria transmission area in the Atlantic Forest region: Implications for elimination. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2019; 52:e20180537. [PMID: 30942262 DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0537-2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Elimination of malaria in areas of interrupted transmission warrants careful case assessment to avoid the reintroduction of this disease. Occasional malaria cases are reported among visitors of the Atlantic Forest area of Brazil, while data on residents of this area are scarce. METHODS A sectional study was carried out to examine 324 individuals living in a municipality where autochthonous cases were detected. RESULTS Asymptomatic Plasmodium infections were detected in 2.8% of the individuals by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), with one case of P. falciparum (0.3%), two cases of P. vivax (0.6%), and six cases of P. malariae (1.9%). The thick blood smears were negative in all individuals. Serological tests performed in 314 subjects were reactive in 11.1%, with 3.5% for P. falciparum and 7.7% for P. vivax. A subsample of 42 reactive individuals for any Plasmodium species showed P. malariae in 30.9% of specimens. Individuals who entered the Atlantic Forest region were 2.7 times more likely to exhibit reactive serology for P. vivax compared with individuals who did not enter this region (p<0.05). Children <15 years had a higher chance of reactive serology for P. falciparum and P. vivax than individuals ≥15 years of age (p<0.05). Individuals living in the Paraiso district had a higher chance of reactive serology for P. vivax compared to other districts (p<0.05). No associations were found between sex, past exposure to malaria, or serological response to antibodies of any Plasmodium species. CONCLUSIONS The implications of these results for the elimination of malaria were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Bortolasse Miguel
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Hermano Gomes Albuquerque
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Maria Carmen Arroyo Sanchez
- Laboratório de Soroepidemiologia e Imunobiologia, Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil
| | - José Rodrigues Coura
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Simone da Silva Santos
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Sidnei da Silva
- Laboratório de Parasitologia, Instituto Nacional de Infectologia, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Martha Cecilia Suárez-Mutis
- Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.,Programa de Pós-graduação em Medicina Tropical, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
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Yorsaeng R, Saeseu T, Chotivanich K, Felger I, Wampfler R, Cui L, Mueller I, Sattabongkot J, Nguitragool W. Indigenous Plasmodium malariae Infection in an Endemic Population at the Thai-Myanmar Border. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2019; 100:1164-1169. [PMID: 30793693 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.18-0597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium malariae is a neglected malaria parasite. It has wide geographic distribution and, although often associated with mild malaria, is linked to a high burden of anemia and nephrotic syndromes. Here, we report a cohort study conducted in the Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand during May 2013-June 2014 in which P. malariae infection was detected. Of the 812 study participants, two were found to be infected with P. malariae. One had an infection that led to acute malaria, but the other was positive for P. malariae at multiple visits during the study and apparently had chronic asymptomatic infection. Such persistent infection may explain how P. malariae has been able to thrive at very low prevalence and represents a challenge for malaria elimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritthideach Yorsaeng
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Teerawat Saeseu
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kesinee Chotivanich
- Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Ingrid Felger
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Rahel Wampfler
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.,Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Malaria: Parasites and Hosts Unit, Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia.,Population-Based Biology Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Australia
| | - Jetsumon Sattabongkot
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wang Nguitragool
- Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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