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Platon L, Leroy D, Fidock DA, Ménard D. Drug-induced stress mediates Plasmodium falciparum ring-stage growth arrest and reduces in vitro parasite susceptibility to artemisinin. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0350023. [PMID: 38363132 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03500-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
During blood-stage infection, Plasmodium falciparum parasites are constantly exposed to a range of extracellular stimuli, including host molecules and drugs such as artemisinin derivatives, the mainstay of artemisinin-based combination therapies currently used as first-line treatment worldwide. Partial resistance of P. falciparum to artemisinin has been associated with mutations in the propeller domain of the Pfkelch13 gene, resulting in a fraction of ring stages that are able to survive exposure to artemisinin through a temporary growth arrest. Here, we investigated whether the growth arrest in ring-stage parasites reflects a general response to stress. We mimicked a stressful environment in vitro by exposing parasites to chloroquine or dihydroartemisinin (DHA). We observed that early ring-stage parasites pre-exposed to a stressed culture supernatant exhibited a temporary growth arrest and a reduced susceptibility to DHA, as assessed by the ring-stage survival assay, irrespective of their Pfkelch13 genotype. These data suggest that temporary growth arrest of early ring stages may be a constitutive, Pfkelch13-independent survival mechanism in P. falciparum.IMPORTANCEPlasmodium falciparum ring stages have the ability to sense the extracellular environment, regulate their growth, and enter a temporary growth arrest state in response to adverse conditions such as drug exposure. This temporary growth arrest results in reduced susceptibility to artemisinin in vitro. The signal responsible for this process is thought to be small molecules (less than 3 kDa) released by stressed mature-stage parasites. These data suggest that Pfkelch13-dependent artemisinin resistance and the growth arrest phenotype are two complementary but unrelated mechanisms of ring-stage survival in P. falciparum. This finding provides new insights into the field of P. falciparum antimalarial drug resistance by highlighting the extracellular compartment and cellular communication as an understudied mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucien Platon
- Malaria Genetics and Resistance Unit, INSERM U1201, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral ED 515 Complexité du Vivant, Paris, France
- Malaria Parasite Biology and Vaccines Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, UR7292 Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Didier Leroy
- Department of Drug Discovery, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - David A Fidock
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Center for Malaria Therapeutics and Antimicrobial Resistance, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Didier Ménard
- Malaria Genetics and Resistance Unit, INSERM U1201, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Malaria Parasite Biology and Vaccines Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Diseases, UR7292 Dynamics of Host-Pathogen Interactions, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Medical Mycology, CHU Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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Andolina C, Graumans W, Guelbeogo M, van Gemert GJ, Ramijth J, Harouna S, Soumanaba Z, Stoter R, Vegte-Bolmer M, Pangos M, Sinnis P, Collins K, Staedke SG, Tiono AB, Drakeley C, Lanke K, Bousema T. Quantification of sporozoite expelling by Anopheles mosquitoes infected with laboratory and naturally circulating P. falciparum gametocytes. eLife 2024; 12:RP90989. [PMID: 38517746 PMCID: PMC10959522 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2024] Open
Abstract
It is currently unknown whether all Plasmodium falciparum-infected mosquitoes are equally infectious. We assessed sporogonic development using cultured gametocytes in the Netherlands and naturally circulating strains in Burkina Faso. We quantified the number of sporozoites expelled into artificial skin in relation to intact oocysts, ruptured oocysts, and residual salivary gland sporozoites. In laboratory conditions, higher total sporozoite burden was associated with shorter duration of sporogony (p<0.001). Overall, 53% (116/216) of infected Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes expelled sporozoites into artificial skin with a median of 136 expelled sporozoites (interquartile range [IQR], 34-501). There was a strong positive correlation between ruptured oocyst number and salivary gland sporozoite load (ρ = 0.8; p<0.0001) and a weaker positive correlation between salivary gland sporozoite load and number of sporozoites expelled (ρ = 0.35; p=0.0002). In Burkina Faso, Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes were infected by natural gametocyte carriers. Among salivary gland sporozoite positive mosquitoes, 89% (33/37) expelled sporozoites with a median of 1035 expelled sporozoites (IQR, 171-2969). Again, we observed a strong correlation between ruptured oocyst number and salivary gland sporozoite load (ρ = 0.9; p<0.0001) and a positive correlation between salivary gland sporozoite load and the number of sporozoites expelled (ρ = 0.7; p<0.0001). Several mosquitoes expelled multiple parasite clones during probing. Whilst sporozoite expelling was regularly observed from mosquitoes with low infection burdens, our findings indicate that mosquito infection burden is positively associated with the number of expelled sporozoites. Future work is required to determine the direct implications of these findings for transmission potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Andolina
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Wouter Graumans
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Moussa Guelbeogo
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Geert-Jan van Gemert
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Jordache Ramijth
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Soré Harouna
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Zongo Soumanaba
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Rianne Stoter
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Marga Vegte-Bolmer
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Martina Pangos
- Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria GiulianoIsontina TriesteTriesteItaly
| | - Photini Sinnis
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns HopkinsBloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Katharine Collins
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Sarah G Staedke
- Liverpool School of Tropical MedicineLiverpoolUnited Kingdom
| | - Alfred B Tiono
- Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le PaludismeOuagadougouBurkina Faso
| | - Chris Drakeley
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Kjerstin Lanke
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
| | - Teun Bousema
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical CentreNijmegenNetherlands
- Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
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Tepper O, Appella DH, Zheng H, Dzikowski R, Yavin E. A Biotinylated cpFIT-PNA Platform for the Facile Detection of Drug Resistance to Artemisinin in Plasmodium falciparum. ACS Sens 2024; 9:1458-1464. [PMID: 38446423 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c02553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of drug resistance to many antimalarial drugs in the lethal strain of malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) has been a great concern over the past 50 years. Among these drugs, artemisinin has become less effective for treating malaria. Indeed, several P. falciparum variants have become resistant to this drug, as elucidated by specific mutations in the pfK13 gene. This study presents the development of a diagnostic kit for the detection of a common point mutation in the pfK13 gene of P. falciparum, namely, the C580Y point mutation. FIT-PNAs (forced-intercalation peptide nucleic acid) are DNA mimics that serve as RNA sensors that fluoresce upon hybridization to their complementary RNA. Herein, FIT-PNAs were designed to sense the C580Y single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and were conjugated to biotin in order to bind these molecules to streptavidin-coated plates. Initial studies with synthetic RNA were conducted to optimize the sensing system. In addition, cyclopentane-modified PNA monomers (cpPNAs) were introduced to improve FIT-PNA sensing. Lastly, total RNA was isolated from red blood cells infected with P. falciparum (WT strain - NF54-WT or mutant strain - NF54-C580Y). Streptavidin plates loaded with either FIT-PNA or cpFIT-PNA were incubated with the total RNA. A significant difference in fluorescence for mutant vs WT total RNA was found only for the cpFIT-PNA probe. In summary, this study paves the way for a simple diagnostic kit for monitoring artemisinin drug resistance that may be easily adapted to malaria endemic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odelia Tepper
- The Institute for Drug Research, The School of Pharmacy, The Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Daniel H Appella
- Synthetic Bioactive Molecules Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry (LBC), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, 8 Center Drive, Room 404, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Hongchao Zheng
- Synthetic Bioactive Molecules Section, Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry (LBC), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health, 8 Center Drive, Room 404, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, United States
| | - Ron Dzikowski
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The institute for Medical Research Israel - Canada, The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
| | - Eylon Yavin
- The Institute for Drug Research, The School of Pharmacy, The Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Hadassah Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem 9112102, Israel
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Tober-Lau P, Kneller AK, Lingscheid T, Mayer B, Zoller T, Kurth F. Presence of anti-RBC antibodies correlates with parasitaemia and once-infected RBCs but not the extent of post-malaria haemolysis. J Travel Med 2024:taae045. [PMID: 38470296 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taae045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Pinkus Tober-Lau
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anna Karolina Kneller
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tilman Lingscheid
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Beate Mayer
- Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Zoller
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Kurth
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Critical Care Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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5
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Feitosa LM, Franca RRF, Ferreira MDLG, Aguiar ACC, de Souza GE, Maluf SEC, de Souza JO, Zapata L, Duarte D, Morais I, Nogueira F, Nonato MC, Pinheiro LCS, Guido RVC, Boechat N. Discovery of new piperaquine hybrid analogs linked by triazolopyrimidine and pyrazolopyrimidine scaffolds with antiplasmodial and transmission blocking activities. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 267:116163. [PMID: 38290351 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 247 million malaria cases in 2021 worldwide, representing an increase in 2 million cases compared to 2020. The urgent need for the development of new antimalarials is underscored by specific criteria, including the requirement of new modes of action that avoid cross-drug resistance, the ability to provide single-dose cures, and efficacy against both assexual and sexual blood stages. Motivated by the promising results obtained from our research group with [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine and pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine derivatives, we selected these molecular scaffolds as the foundation for designing two new series of piperaquine analogs as potential antimalarial candidates. The initial series of hybrids was designed by substituting one quinolinic ring of piperaquine with the 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine or pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine nucleus. To connect the heterocyclic systems, spacers with 3, 4, or 7 methylene carbons were introduced at the 4 position of the quinoline. In the second series, we used piperazine as a spacer to link the 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine or pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine group to the quinoline core, effectively merging both pharmacophoric groups via a rigid spacer. Our research efforts yielded promising compounds characterized by low cytotoxicity and selectivity indices exceeding 1570. These compounds displayed potent in vitro inhibitory activity in the low nanomolar range against the erythrocytic form of the parasite, encompassing both susceptible and resistant strains. Notably, these compounds did not show cross-resistance with either chloroquine or established P. falciparum inhibitors. Even though they share a pyrazolo- or triazolo-pyrimidine core, enzymatic inhibition assays revealed that these compounds had minimal inhibitory effects on PfDHODH, indicating a distinct mode of action unrelated to targeting this enzyme. We further assessed the compounds' potential to interfere with gametocyte and ookinete infectivity using mature P. falciparum gametocytes cultured in vitro. Four compounds demonstrated significant gametocyte inhibition ranging from 58 % to 86 %, suggesting potential transmission blocking activity. Finally, we evaluated the druggability of these new compounds using in silico methods, and the results indicated that these analogs had favorable physicochemical and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties. In summary, our research has successfully identified and characterized new piperaquine analogs based on [1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine and pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine scaffolds and has demonstrated their potential as promising candidates for the development of antimalarial drugs with distinct mechanisms of action, considerable selectivity, and P. falciparum transmission blocking activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia M Feitosa
- Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto de Tecnologia em Farmacos, Farmanguinhos - FIOCRUZ, Laboratorio de Sintese de Farmacos. Rua Sizenando Nabuco 100, Manguinhos, 21041-250, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Programa de Pós Graduação em Farmacologia e Química Medicinal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Rodolfo Rodrigo F Franca
- Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto de Tecnologia em Farmacos, Farmanguinhos - FIOCRUZ, Laboratorio de Sintese de Farmacos. Rua Sizenando Nabuco 100, Manguinhos, 21041-250, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Maria de Lourdes G Ferreira
- Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto de Tecnologia em Farmacos, Farmanguinhos - FIOCRUZ, Laboratorio de Sintese de Farmacos. Rua Sizenando Nabuco 100, Manguinhos, 21041-250, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Anna C C Aguiar
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Av. João Dagnone, 1.100, Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, Brazil; Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia. Rua Botucatu 862, Vila Clementino, 04023-062, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Guilherme E de Souza
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Av. João Dagnone, 1.100, Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Sarah El Chamy Maluf
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Av. João Dagnone, 1.100, Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Juliana O de Souza
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Av. João Dagnone, 1.100, Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
| | - Luana Zapata
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Ciências BioMoleculares, Laboratório de Cristalografia de Proteínas, Avenida do Café s/n Monte Alegre, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Center for the Research and Advancement of Fragments and Molecular Targets (CRAFT), Avenida do Café s/n Monte Alegre, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Denise Duarte
- Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, UNL, Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ines Morais
- Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, UNL, Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Fatima Nogueira
- Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, UNL, Global Health and Tropical Medicine, GHTM, Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - M Cristina Nonato
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Departamento de Ciências BioMoleculares, Laboratório de Cristalografia de Proteínas, Avenida do Café s/n Monte Alegre, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto, Center for the Research and Advancement of Fragments and Molecular Targets (CRAFT), Avenida do Café s/n Monte Alegre, 14040-903 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Luiz C S Pinheiro
- Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto de Tecnologia em Farmacos, Farmanguinhos - FIOCRUZ, Laboratorio de Sintese de Farmacos. Rua Sizenando Nabuco 100, Manguinhos, 21041-250, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Formação de Professores, Departamento de Ciências, Rua Dr. Francisco Portela, 1470, Patronato, 24435-005, São Gonçalo, RJ, Brazil.
| | - Rafael V C Guido
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Av. João Dagnone, 1.100, Jd. Santa Angelina, São Carlos, SP, Brazil.
| | - Nubia Boechat
- Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Instituto de Tecnologia em Farmacos, Farmanguinhos - FIOCRUZ, Laboratorio de Sintese de Farmacos. Rua Sizenando Nabuco 100, Manguinhos, 21041-250, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Programa de Pós Graduação em Farmacologia e Química Medicinal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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Sinha A, Kar S, Chauhan C, Yadav CP, Kori L. Meta-analysis on Plasmodium falciparum sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance-conferring mutations in India identifies hot spots for genetic surveillance. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2024; 63:107071. [PMID: 38154659 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2023.107071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND India is on track to eliminate malaria by 2030 but emerging resistance to first-line antimalarials is a recognised threat. Two instances of rapid development, spread, and natural selection of drug-resistant mutant parasites in India (chloroquine across the country and artesunate + sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine [AS+SP] in the northeastern states) translated into drug policy changes for Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 2010 and 2013, respectively. Considering these rapid changes in the SP drug resistance-conferring mutation profile of P. falciparum, there is a need to systematically monitor the validated mutations in Pfdhfr and Pfdhps genes across India alongside AS+SP therapeutic efficacy studies. There has been no robust, systematic countrywide surveillance reported for these parameters in India, hence the current study was undertaken. METHODS Studies that reported data on WHO-validated SP resistance markers in P. falciparum across India from 2008 to January 2023 were included. Five major databases, PubMedⓇ, Web of ScienceTM, ScopusⓇ, EmbaseⓇ, and Google Scholar, were exhaustively searched. Individual and pooled prevalence estimates of mutations were obtained through random- and fixed-effect models. Data were depicted using forest plots created with a 95% confidence interval. The study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021236012). RESULTS A total of 37 publications, and 533 Pfdhfr and 134 Pfdhps National Centre of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) DNA sequences were included from >4000 samples. The study included information from 80 districts, 21 states and 3 union territories (UTs) from India. The two PfDHFR mutations, C59R (62%) and S108N (74%), were the most prevalent mutations (pooled estimates 61% and 71%, respectively) and appeared to be stabilised/fixed. Although rarest overall, the prevalence of I164L was observed to be as high as 32%. The PfDHFR double mutants were the most prevalent overall (51%; pooled 42%). The prevalence of triple and quadruple mutations was 6% and 5%, respectively, and is an immediate concern for some states. The most prevalent PfDHPS mutation was A437G (39%), followed by K540E (25%) and A581G (12%). There was a low overall prevalence of PfDHFR/PfDHPS quintuple and sextuple mutations but surveillance for these mutations is critical for some areas. CONCLUSION The analyses span the two critical policy changes, highlight the areas of concern, and guide policymakers in strategising and refining the anti-malaria drug policy for malaria elimination. The results of the analyses also highlight the SP-resistance hot spots, critical gaps and challenges, and indicate that focal and local malaria genetic surveillance (including drug-resistance markers) is needed until malaria is successfully eliminated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhinav Sinha
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India.
| | - Sonalika Kar
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Charu Chauhan
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Lokesh Kori
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
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7
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Dawood WA, Fisher GM, Kinnen FJM, Anzenhofer C, Skinner-Adams T, Alves Avelar L, Asfaha Y, Kurz T, Andrews KT. Activity of alkoxyamide-based histone deacetylase inhibitors against Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites. Exp Parasitol 2024; 258:108716. [PMID: 38340779 DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2024.108716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
There are more than 240 million cases of malaria and 600,000 associated deaths each year, most due to infection with Plasmodium falciparum parasites. While malaria treatment options exist, new drugs with novel modes of action are needed to address malaria parasite drug resistance. Protein lysine deacetylases (termed HDACs) are important epigenetic regulatory enzymes and prospective therapeutic targets for malaria. Here we report the antiplasmodial activity of a panel of 17 hydroxamate zinc binding group HDAC inhibitors with alkoxyamide linkers and different cap groups. The two most potent compounds (4a and 4b) were found to inhibit asexual P. falciparum growth with 50% inhibition concentrations (IC50's) of 0.07 μM and 0.09 μM, respectively, and demonstrated >200-fold more selectivity for P. falciparum parasites versus human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts (NFF). In situ hyperacetylation studies demonstrated that 4a, 4b and analogs caused P. falciparum histone H4 hyperacetylation, suggesting HDAC inhibition, with structure activity relationships providing information relevant to the design of new Plasmodium-specific aliphatic chain hydroxamate HDAC inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wisam A Dawood
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
| | - Gillian M Fisher
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
| | - Franziska J M Kinnen
- Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Germany
| | - Christian Anzenhofer
- Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Germany
| | - Tina Skinner-Adams
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
| | - Leandro Alves Avelar
- Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Germany
| | - Yodita Asfaha
- Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Germany
| | - Thomas Kurz
- Institut für Pharmazeutische und Medizinische Chemie, Heinrich-Heine Universität, Germany.
| | - Katherine T Andrews
- Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
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8
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He Q, Chaillet JK, Labbé F. Antigenic strain diversity predicts different biogeographic patterns of maintenance and decline of antimalarial drug resistance. eLife 2024; 12:RP90888. [PMID: 38363295 PMCID: PMC10942604 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The establishment and spread of antimalarial drug resistance vary drastically across different biogeographic regions. Though most infections occur in sub-Saharan Africa, resistant strains often emerge in low-transmission regions. Existing models on resistance evolution lack consensus on the relationship between transmission intensity and drug resistance, possibly due to overlooking the feedback between antigenic diversity, host immunity, and selection for resistance. To address this, we developed a novel compartmental model that tracks sensitive and resistant parasite strains, as well as the host dynamics of generalized and antigen-specific immunity. Our results show a negative correlation between parasite prevalence and resistance frequency, regardless of resistance cost or efficacy. Validation using chloroquine-resistant marker data supports this trend. Post discontinuation of drugs, resistance remains high in low-diversity, low-transmission regions, while it steadily decreases in high-diversity, high-transmission regions. Our study underscores the critical role of malaria strain diversity in the biogeographic patterns of resistance evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixin He
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue UniversityWest LafayetteUnited States
| | - John K Chaillet
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue UniversityWest LafayetteUnited States
| | - Frédéric Labbé
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of ChicagoChicagoUnited States
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9
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Akoniyon OP, Akiibinu M, Adeleke MA, Maharaj R, Okpeku M. A Comparative Study of Genetic Diversity and Multiplicity of Infection in Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Selected Regions of Pre-Elimination and High Transmission Settings Using MSP1 and MSP2 Genes. Pathogens 2024; 13:172. [PMID: 38392910 PMCID: PMC10891941 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13020172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding the genetic structure of P. falciparum population in different regions is pivotal to malaria elimination. Genetic diversity and the multiplicity of infection are indicators used for measuring malaria endemicity across different transmission settings. Therefore, this study characterized P. falciparum infections from selected areas constituting pre-elimination and high transmission settings in South Africa and Nigeria, respectively. METHODS Parasite genomic DNA was extracted from 129 participants with uncomplicated P. falciparum infections. Isolates were collected from 78 participants in South Africa (southern Africa) and 51 in Nigeria (western Africa). Allelic typing of the msp1 and msp2 genes was carried out using nested PCR. RESULTS In msp1, the K1 allele (39.7%) was the most common allele among the South African isolates, while the RO33 allele (90.2%) was the most common allele among the Nigerian isolates. In the msp2 gene, FC27 and IC3D7 showed almost the same percentage distribution (44.9% and 43.6%) in the South African isolates, whereas FC27 had the highest percentage distribution (60.8%) in the Nigerian isolates. The msp2 gene showed highly distinctive genotypes, indicating high genetic diversity in the South African isolates, whereas msp1 showed high genetic diversity in the Nigerian isolates. The RO33 allelic family displayed an inverse relationship with participants' age in the Nigerian isolates. The overall multiplicity of infection (MOI) was significantly higher in Nigeria (2.87) than in South Africa (2.44) (p < 0.000 *). In addition, heterozygosity was moderately higher in South Africa (1.46) than in Nigeria (1.13). CONCLUSIONS The high genetic diversity and MOI in P. falciparum that were observed in this study could provide surveillance data, on the basis of which appropriate control strategies should be adopted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olusegun Philip Akoniyon
- Discipline of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa; (O.P.A.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Moses Akiibinu
- Department of Biochemistry and Chemistry, Caleb University, Lagos 11379, Nigeria;
| | - Matthew A. Adeleke
- Discipline of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa; (O.P.A.); (M.A.A.)
| | - Rajendra Maharaj
- Office of Malaria Research, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town 7505, South Africa;
| | - Moses Okpeku
- Discipline of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4041, South Africa; (O.P.A.); (M.A.A.)
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10
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Musundi SD, Gitaka J, Kanoi BN. Identification of conserved cross-species B-cell linear epitopes in human malaria: a subtractive proteomics and immuno-informatics approach targeting merozoite stage proteins. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1352618. [PMID: 38404581 PMCID: PMC10884153 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1352618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Human malaria, caused by five Plasmodium species (P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. knowlesi), remains a significant global health burden. While most interventions target P. falciparum, the species associated with high mortality rates and severe clinical symptoms, non-falciparum species exhibit different transmission dynamics, remain hugely neglected, and pose a significant challenge to malaria elimination efforts. Recent studies have reported the presence of antigens associated with cross-protective immunity, which can potentially disrupt the transmission of various Plasmodium species. With the sequencing of the Plasmodium genome and the development of immunoinformatic tools, in this study, we sought to exploit the evolutionary history of Plasmodium species to identify conserved cross-species B-cell linear epitopes in merozoite proteins. We retrieved Plasmodium proteomes associated with human malaria and applied a subtractive proteomics approach focusing on merozoite stage proteins. Bepipred 2.0 and Epidope were used to predict B-cell linear epitopes using P. falciparum as the reference species. The predictions were further compared against human and non-falciparum databases and their antigenicity, toxicity, and allergenicity assessed. Subsequently, epitope conservation was carried out using locally sequenced P. falciparum isolates from a malaria-endemic region in western Kenya (n=27) and Kenyan isolates from MalariaGEN version 6 (n=131). Finally, physiochemical characteristics and tertiary structure of the B-cell linear epitopes were determined. The analysis revealed eight epitopes that showed high similarity (70-100%) between falciparum and non-falciparum species. These epitopes were highly conserved when assessed across local isolates and those from the MalariaGEN database and showed desirable physiochemical properties. Our results show the presence of conserved cross-species B-cell linear epitopes that could aid in targeting multiple Plasmodium species. Nevertheless, validating their efficacy in-vitro and in-vivo experimentally is essential.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Bernard N. Kanoi
- Centre for Malaria Elimination, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
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11
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Andradi-Brown C, Wichers-Misterek JS, von Thien H, Höppner YD, Scholz JAM, Hansson H, Filtenborg Hocke E, Gilberger TW, Duffy MF, Lavstsen T, Baum J, Otto TD, Cunnington AJ, Bachmann A. A novel computational pipeline for var gene expression augments the discovery of changes in the Plasmodium falciparum transcriptome during transition from in vivo to short-term in vitro culture. eLife 2024; 12:RP87726. [PMID: 38270586 PMCID: PMC10945709 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The pathogenesis of severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria involves cytoadhesive microvascular sequestration of infected erythrocytes, mediated by P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). PfEMP1 variants are encoded by the highly polymorphic family of var genes, the sequences of which are largely unknown in clinical samples. Previously, we published new approaches for var gene profiling and classification of predicted binding phenotypes in clinical P. falciparum isolates (Wichers et al., 2021), which represented a major technical advance. Building on this, we report here a novel method for var gene assembly and multidimensional quantification from RNA-sequencing that outperforms the earlier approach of Wichers et al., 2021, on both laboratory and clinical isolates across a combination of metrics. Importantly, the tool can interrogate the var transcriptome in context with the rest of the transcriptome and can be applied to enhance our understanding of the role of var genes in malaria pathogenesis. We applied this new method to investigate changes in var gene expression through early transition of parasite isolates to in vitro culture, using paired sets of ex vivo samples from our previous study, cultured for up to three generations. In parallel, changes in non-polymorphic core gene expression were investigated. Modest but unpredictable var gene switching and convergence towards var2csa were observed in culture, along with differential expression of 19% of the core transcriptome between paired ex vivo and generation 1 samples. Our results cast doubt on the validity of the common practice of using short-term cultured parasites to make inferences about in vivo phenotype and behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Andradi-Brown
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South KensingtonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jan Stephan Wichers-Misterek
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-StrasseHamburgGermany
- Centre for Structural Systems BiologyHamburgGermany
- Biology Department, University of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Heidrun von Thien
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-StrasseHamburgGermany
- Centre for Structural Systems BiologyHamburgGermany
- Biology Department, University of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Yannick D Höppner
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-StrasseHamburgGermany
- Centre for Structural Systems BiologyHamburgGermany
- Biology Department, University of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Judith AM Scholz
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-StrasseHamburgGermany
| | - Helle Hansson
- Center for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University HospitalCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Emma Filtenborg Hocke
- Center for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University HospitalCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Tim Wolf Gilberger
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-StrasseHamburgGermany
- Centre for Structural Systems BiologyHamburgGermany
- Biology Department, University of HamburgHamburgGermany
| | - Michael F Duffy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - Thomas Lavstsen
- Center for Medical Parasitology, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Copenhagen University HospitalCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South KensingtonLondonUnited Kingdom
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine & Health, UNSW, KensingtonSydneyUnited Kingdom
| | - Thomas D Otto
- School of Infection & Immunity, MVLS, University of GlasgowGlasgowUnited Kingdom
| | - Aubrey J Cunnington
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
- Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Anna Bachmann
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bernhard-Nocht-StrasseHamburgGermany
- Centre for Structural Systems BiologyHamburgGermany
- Biology Department, University of HamburgHamburgGermany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Borstel-Lübeck-RiemsHamburgGermany
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12
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Tokponnon TF, Ossè R, Yovogan B, Guidi E, Adoha CJ, Sominanhouin A, Ahouandjinou J, Sidick A, Akogbeto MC. Presence of Plasmodium vivax in Anopheles gambiae and absence in other malaria vectors in Cove-Zagnanando-Ouinhi health zone in southern Benin, West Africa. Malar J 2024; 23:20. [PMID: 38225627 PMCID: PMC10790420 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04834-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria remains a major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Benin. The present study aims to evaluate the different Plasmodium species transmitted by malaria vectors in the communes of Cove, Zagnanado and Ouinhi, Southern Benin. METHODS The study was conducted between December 2021 and October 2022 in 60 villages spread over the three study communes. Adult mosquitoes were collected from four houses in each village using human landing catches (HLCs). After morphological identification, a subsample of Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles funestus and Anopheles nili was analysed by PCR to test for their infection to the different Plasmodium species. RESULTS Anopheles gambiae was collected at higher frequency in all the three study communes, representing 93.5% (95% CI 92.9-94) of all collected mosquitoes (n = 10,465). In total, five molecular species were found, An. gambiae sensu stricto (s.s.) and Anopheles coluzzii of the Gambiae complex, An. funestus and Anopheles leesoni of the Funestus group, and An. nili s.s., the sole species of the Nili group. From the five molecular species, four (An. gambiae s.s., An. coluzzii, An. funestus s.s. and An. nili s.s.) were found to be infected. Plasmodium falciparum was the main Plasmodium species in the study area, followed by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale. Only An. gambiae s.s. was infected with all three Plasmodium species, while An. coluzzii was infected with two species, P. falciparum and P. vivax. CONCLUSIONS Plasmodium falciparum was the only species tested for in malaria vectors in Benin, and remains the only one against which most control tools are directed. It is, therefore, necessary that particular attention be paid to secondary Plasmodium species for an efficient control of the disease. The presence of P. vivax emphasizes the need for an update of case management for malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatchémè Filémon Tokponnon
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin.
- Ecole Polytechnique d'Abomey Calavi, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin.
| | - Razaki Ossè
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
- Ecole de Gestion et d'Exploitation des Systèmes d'Elevage, Université Nationale d'Agriculture, Ketou, Benin
| | - Boulais Yovogan
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - Ella Guidi
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
- Ecole Polytechnique d'Abomey Calavi, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - Constantin J Adoha
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin
| | - André Sominanhouin
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Juvenal Ahouandjinou
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Aboubakar Sidick
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
| | - Martin C Akogbeto
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou, Benin
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13
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Eccleston RC, Manko E, Campino S, Clark TG, Furnham N. A computational method for predicting the most likely evolutionary trajectories in the stepwise accumulation of resistance mutations. eLife 2023; 12:e84756. [PMID: 38132182 PMCID: PMC10807863 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogen evolution of drug resistance often occurs in a stepwise manner via the accumulation of multiple mutations that in combination have a non-additive impact on fitness, a phenomenon known as epistasis. The evolution of resistance via the accumulation of point mutations in the DHFR genes of Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) and Plasmodium vivax (Pv) has been studied extensively and multiple studies have shown epistatic interactions between these mutations determine the accessible evolutionary trajectories to highly resistant multiple mutations. Here, we simulated these evolutionary trajectories using a model of molecular evolution, parameterised using Rosetta Flex ddG predictions, where selection acts to reduce the target-drug binding affinity. We observe strong agreement with pathways determined using experimentally measured IC50 values of pyrimethamine binding, which suggests binding affinity is strongly predictive of resistance and epistasis in binding affinity strongly influences the order of fixation of resistance mutations. We also infer pathways directly from the frequency of mutations found in isolate data, and observe remarkable agreement with the most likely pathways predicted by our mechanistic model, as well as those determined experimentally. This suggests mutation frequency data can be used to intuitively infer evolutionary pathways, provided sufficient sampling of the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Charlotte Eccleston
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Emilia Manko
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Susana Campino
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Taane G Clark
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Nicholas Furnham
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
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14
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Liffner B, Cepeda Diaz AK, Blauwkamp J, Anaguano D, Frolich S, Muralidharan V, Wilson DW, Dvorin JD, Absalon S. Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy. eLife 2023; 12:RP88088. [PMID: 38108809 PMCID: PMC10727503 DOI: 10.7554/elife.88088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Apicomplexan parasites exhibit tremendous diversity in much of their fundamental cell biology, but study of these organisms using light microscopy is often hindered by their small size. Ultrastructural expansion microscopy (U-ExM) is a microscopy preparation method that physically expands the sample by ~4.5×. Here, we apply U-ExM to the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum during the asexual blood stage of its lifecycle to understand how this parasite is organized in three dimensions. Using a combination of dye-conjugated reagents and immunostaining, we have cataloged 13 different P. falciparum structures or organelles across the intraerythrocytic development of this parasite and made multiple observations about fundamental parasite cell biology. We describe that the outer centriolar plaque and its associated proteins anchor the nucleus to the parasite plasma membrane during mitosis. Furthermore, the rhoptries, Golgi, basal complex, and inner membrane complex, which form around this anchoring site while nuclei are still dividing, are concurrently segregated and maintain an association to the outer centriolar plaque until the start of segmentation. We also show that the mitochondrion and apicoplast undergo sequential fission events while maintaining an association with the outer centriolar plaque during cytokinesis. Collectively, this study represents the most detailed ultrastructural analysis of P. falciparum during its intraerythrocytic development to date and sheds light on multiple poorly understood aspects of its organelle biogenesis and fundamental cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Liffner
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of MedicineIndianapolisUnited States
| | - Ana Karla Cepeda Diaz
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - James Blauwkamp
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of MedicineIndianapolisUnited States
| | - David Anaguano
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of GeorgiaAthensUnited States
- Department of Cellular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of GeorgiaAthensUnited States
| | - Sonja Frolich
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of AdelaideAdelaideAustralia
- Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, University of AdelaideAdelaideAustralia
| | - Vasant Muralidharan
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of GeorgiaAthensUnited States
- Department of Cellular Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of GeorgiaAthensUnited States
| | - Danny W Wilson
- Research Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biological Sciences, University of AdelaideAdelaideAustralia
- Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing, University of AdelaideAdelaideAustralia
- Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial RoadMelbourneAustralia
| | - Jeffrey D Dvorin
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Boston Children’s HospitalBostonUnited States
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Sabrina Absalon
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of MedicineIndianapolisUnited States
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15
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Nkemngo FN, Raissa LW, Nguete DN, Ndo C, Fru-Cho J, Njiokou F, Wanji S, Wondji CS. Geographical emergence of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine drug resistance-associated P. falciparum and P. malariae alleles in co-existing Anopheles mosquito and asymptomatic human populations across Cameroon. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0058823. [PMID: 37947766 PMCID: PMC10720508 DOI: 10.1128/aac.00588-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria molecular surveillance remains critical in detecting and tracking emerging parasite resistance to anti-malarial drugs. The current study employed molecular techniques to determine Plasmodium species prevalence and characterize the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium malariae molecular markers of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine resistance in humans and wild Anopheles mosquito populations in Cameroon. Anopheles mosquito collections and parasitological survey were conducted in villages to determine Plasmodium species infection, and genomic phenotyping of anti-folate resistance was accomplished by sequencing the dihydrofolate-reductase (dhfr) and dihydropteroate-synthase (dhps) genes of naturally circulating P. falciparum and P. malariae isolates. The malaria prevalence in Elende was 73.5% with the 5-15 years age group harboring significant P. falciparum (27%) and P. falciparum + P. malariae (19%) infections. The polymorphism breadth of the pyrimethamine-associated Pfdhfr marker revealed a near fixation (94%) of the triple-mutant -A16I51R59N108I164. The Pfdhps backbone mediating sulfadoxine resistance reveals a high frequency of the V431A436G437K540A581A613 alleles (20.8%). Similarly, the Pmdhfr N50K55L57R58S59S114F168I170 haplotype (78.4%) was predominantly detected in the asexual blood stage. In contrast, the Pmdhps- S436A437occured at 37.2% frequency. The combined quadruple N50K55L57R58S59S114F168I170_ S436G437K540A581A613 (31.9%) was the major circulating haplotype with similar frequency in humans and mosquitoes. This study highlights the increasing frequency of the P. malariae parasite mostly common in asymptomatic individuals with apparent P. falciparum infection. Interventions directed at reducing malaria transmission such as the scaling-up of SP are favoring the emergence and spread of multiple drug-resistant alleles between the human and mosquito host systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis N. Nkemngo
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Lymen W. Raissa
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Daniel N. Nguete
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Cyrille Ndo
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Jerome Fru-Cho
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- Research Foundation in Tropical Diseases and Environment, Buea, Cameroon
- Centre for Infection Biology and Translational Research, Forzi Institute, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Flobert Njiokou
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Samuel Wanji
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
- Research Foundation in Tropical Diseases and Environment, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Charles S. Wondji
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Vector Biology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom
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16
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Kamlo Kamso VF, Dongmo Melogmo YK, Tchegnitegni BT, Tchatat Tali MB, Dize D, Ngansop CN, Ambassa P, Ouete Nantchouang JL, Konga IS, Boyom FF, Ngadjui BT, Fotso GW. New lignan glycosides from Justicia secunda Vahl (Acanthaceae) with antimicrobial and antiparasitic properties. Heliyon 2023; 9:e22897. [PMID: 38125494 PMCID: PMC10730754 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Three new lignan glucosides, namely, justisecundosides A (1), B (2a), and C (2b), were isolated from the whole plant of Justicia secunda together with seven known compounds (3-9). Their structures were established based on a comprehensive analysis of HR-ESI-MS, IR, UV, and CD, in conjunction with their 1D and 2D-NMR data. A putative biogenetic pathway of compounds 1-2a,b from coniferyl alcohol was proposed. In addition, the antimicrobialactivities of the extract, fractions, and some isolated compounds were assessed against multiresistant bacterial and fungal strains. Furthermore, the antiplasmodial, antileishmanial, and antitrypanosomal activities were assessed against the sensitive (3D7) and multidrug-resistant (Dd2) strains of P. falciparum, promastigote and bloodstream forms of L. donovani, and Trypanosoma brucei, respectively. Compound 4 exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus SA RN 46003 with a MIC value of 62.5 μg/mL. Besides, compound 6 demonstrated a very good activity against sensitive (IC50Pf3D7: 0.81 μg/mL) and multidrug-resistant (IC50PfDd2: 14.61 μg/mL) strains of P. falciparum while compound 4 displayed good antitrypanosomal activity (IC50: 1.19 μg/mL). Also, compound 1 was the most active on the promastigote form of L. donovani with an IC50 of 13.02 μg/mL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviane Flore Kamlo Kamso
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | | | | | - Darline Dize
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Cyrille Njampa Ngansop
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Pantaléon Ambassa
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - Ingrid Simo Konga
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon
| | - Fabrice Fekam Boyom
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Bonaventure Tchaleu Ngadjui
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- University Institute of Sciences, Technologies and Ethics, P.O. Box 30201, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Ghislain Wabo Fotso
- Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon
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Atul, Chaudhary P, Gupta S, Shoaib R, Pasupureddy R, Goyal B, Kumar B, Singh OP, Dixit R, Singh S, Akhter M, Kapoor N, Pande V, Chakraborti S, Vashisht K, Pandey KC. Artemisinin resistance in P. falciparum: probing the interacting partners of Kelch13 protein in parasite. J Glob Antimicrob Resist 2023; 35:67-75. [PMID: 37633420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgar.2023.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Artemisinin (ART) resistance in Plasmodium is threatening the artemisinin combination therapies-the first line of defence against malaria. ART resistance has been established to be mediated by the Plasmodium Kelch13 (PfK13) protein. For the crucial role of PfK13 in multiple pathways of the Plasmodium life cycle and ART resistance, it is imperative that we investigate its interacting partners. METHODS We recombinantly expressed PfK13-p (Bric a brac/Poxvirus and zinc finger and propeller domains), generating anti-PfK13-p antibodies to perform co-immunoprecipitation assays and probed PfK13 interacting partners. Surface plasmon resonance and pull-down assays were performed to establish physical interactions of representative proteins with PfK13-p. RESULTS The co-immunoprecipitation assays identified 17 proteins with distinct functions in the parasite life cycle- protein folding, cellular metabolism, and protein binding and invasion. In addition to the overlap with previously identified proteins, our study identified 10 unique proteins. Fructose-biphosphate aldolase and heat shock protein 70 demonstrated strong biophysical interaction with PfK13-p, with KD values of 6.6 µM and 7.6 µM, respectively. Additionally, Plasmodium merozoite surface protein 1 formed a complex with PfK13-p, which is evident from the pull-down assay. CONCLUSION This study adds to our knowledge of the PfK13 protein in mediating ART resistance by identifying new PfK13 interacting partners. Three representative proteins-fructose-biphosphate aldolase, heat shock protein 70, and merozoite surface protein 1-demonstrated clear evidence of biophysical interactions with PfK13-p. However, elucidation of the functional relevance of these physical interactions are crucial in context of PfK13 role in ART resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atul
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Preeti Chaudhary
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Department of Life Sciences, IGNOU, Delhi, India
| | - Swati Gupta
- International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Delhi, India
| | - Rumaisha Shoaib
- School of Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India
| | | | - Bharti Goyal
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovation Research, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Bhumika Kumar
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Rajnikant Dixit
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Shailja Singh
- School of Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India
| | | | - Neera Kapoor
- Department of Life Sciences, IGNOU, Delhi, India
| | - Veena Pande
- Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Soumyananda Chakraborti
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovation Research, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Kapil Vashisht
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Kailash C Pandey
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovation Research, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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18
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Mortazavi SE, Lugaajju A, Nylander M, Danielsson L, Tijani MK, Beeson JG, Persson KEM. Acquisition of complement fixing antibodies targeting Plasmodium falciparum merozoites in infants and their mothers in Uganda. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1295543. [PMID: 38090561 PMCID: PMC10715273 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1295543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Antibody-mediated complement fixation has previously been associated with protection against malaria in naturally acquired immunity. However, the process of early-life development of complement-fixing antibodies in infants, both in comparison to their respective mothers and to other immune parameters, remains less clear. Results We measured complement-fixing antibodies in newborns and their mothers in a malaria endemic area over 5 years follow-up and found that infants' complement-fixing antibody levels were highest at birth, decreased until six months, then increased progressively until they were similar to birth at five years. Infants with high levels at birth experienced a faster decay of complement-fixing antibodies but showed similar levels to the low response group of newborns thereafter. No difference was observed in antibody levels between infant cord blood and mothers at delivery. The same result was found when categorized into high and low response groups, indicating placental transfer of antibodies. Complement-fixing antibodies were positively correlated with total schizont-specific IgG and IgM levels in mothers and infants at several time points. At nine months, complement-fixing antibodies were negatively correlated with total B cell frequency and osteopontin concentrations in the infants, while positively correlated with atypical memory B cells and P. falciparum-positive atypical memory B cells. Conclusion This study indicates that complement-fixing antibodies against P. falciparum merozoites are produced in the mothers and placentally-transferred, and they are acquired in infants over time during the first years of life. Understanding early life immune responses is crucial for developing a functional, long lasting malaria vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne E. Mortazavi
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
| | - Allan Lugaajju
- College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Maria Nylander
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lena Danielsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology, Laboratory Medicine, Office for Medical Services, Region Skåne, Lund, Sweden
| | - Muyideen Kolapo Tijani
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Cellular Parasitology Program, Cell Biology and Genetics Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - James G. Beeson
- The Burnet Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Central Clinical School and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Kristina E. M. Persson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology, Laboratory Medicine, Office for Medical Services, Region Skåne, Lund, Sweden
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19
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Rani A, Nawaz SK, Arshad M, Arshad N. Role of MyD88-Adaptor-Like (MAL) Gene Polymorphism rs8177374 and Cytokine (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, TGF-β) Levels in Diverse Malaria Manifestations upon P. falciparum and P. vivax Infections. Jpn J Infect Dis 2023; 76:358-364. [PMID: 37648490 DOI: 10.7883/yoken.jjid.2023.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the role of genetic variant rs8177374 in MAL/TIRAP gene in mediating the cytokine levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, and TGF-β in malaria patients due to Plasmodium falciparum or P. vivax infection. The study included human blood samples collected from patients with malaria (n = 228) and healthy controls (n = 226). P. falciparum and P. vivax groups were established based on the causative species of Plasmodium. Malaria samples were divided into mild and severe malaria groups based on the symptoms that appeared in the patients, according to the WHO criteria. In a previous study, we genotyped rs8177374 via allele specific PCR strategy. In this study, cytokine levels were estimated in the blood plasma of rs8177374 genotype samples via Sandwich Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay kits. Increased IFN-γ and TNF-α levels in presence of CC genotype indicates the role of CC genotype in both severe and mild malaria groups. Enhanced IL-10 levels in the CT genotype and mild malaria groups suggest a role of CT genotype and IL-10 in the mild clinical outcomes of malaria. The rs8177374 polymorphism in MAL/TIRAP plays an important role in malaria pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asima Rani
- Department of Zoology, University of Sargodha, Pakistan
| | | | | | - Najma Arshad
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Center for Research in Molecular Medicine (IMBB/CRIMM), The University of Lahore, Pakistan
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20
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Gogoi N, Rudrapal M, Celik I, Kaishap PP, Chetia D. In vitro and in silico guided identification of antimalarial phytoconstituent(s) in the root of Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2023:1-12. [PMID: 37975318 DOI: 10.1080/07391102.2023.2283154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
As a part of our continuous effort to find new therapeutic agents from natural sources, the hydroalcoholic (1:1) extract of Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr. root was selected for the identification of possible antimalarial phytoconstituents. From the extract, three flavonoids including luteolin were isolated and evaluated for in vitro antimalarial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive (Pf3D7) and resistant (PfRKL-9) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Among these, luteolin (CM3) showed the highest antimalarial activity with IC50 values of 2.315 ± 0.489 and 2.691 ± 0.454 µg/ml against the Pf3D7 and PfRKL-9 strains respectively. To assess the safety of luteolin (CM3), a cytotoxicity study against a normal human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK-293) was performed and the compound was found to be safe with a CC50 value of 222.3 ± 1.443 µg/ml. The docking study against 26 target proteins of P. falciparum revealed that luteolin (CM3) has a better binding affinity with two proteins, viz. P. falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDG) and P. falciparum enoyl-ACP reductase (PfEAR) in comparison to the co-crystallized ligands. Furthermore, the molecular dynamics simulation study of the protein-ligand complexes also supported the binding affinity and interactions of luteolin (CM3) at the active sites. Finally, the binding free energy calculation revealed that the luteolin formed a thermodynamically more stable complex with PfLDG (-50.955 ± 17.184 kJ/mol) than PfEAR (-24.856 ± 13.739 kJ/mol). Overall, in this study, we identified an antimalarial marker in the hydroalcoholic extract of C. maxima root which may act by inhibiting PfLDG.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neelutpal Gogoi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam, India
| | - Mithun Rudrapal
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vignan's Foundation for Science, Technology & Research (Deemed to be University), Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Ismail Celik
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Erciyes University, Kayseri, Turkey
| | | | - Dipak Chetia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam, India
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21
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Thommen BT, Dziekan JM, Achcar F, Tjia S, Passecker A, Buczak K, Gumpp C, Schmidt A, Rottmann M, Grüring C, Marti M, Bozdech Z, Brancucci NMB. Genetic validation of PfFKBP35 as an antimalarial drug target. eLife 2023; 12:RP86975. [PMID: 37934560 PMCID: PMC10629825 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum accounts for the majority of over 600,000 malaria-associated deaths annually. Parasites resistant to nearly all antimalarials have emerged and the need for drugs with alternative modes of action is thus undoubted. The FK506-binding protein PfFKBP35 has gained attention as a promising drug target due to its high affinity to the macrolide compound FK506 (tacrolimus). Whilst there is considerable interest in targeting PfFKBP35 with small molecules, a genetic validation of this factor as a drug target is missing and its function in parasite biology remains elusive. Here, we show that limiting PfFKBP35 levels are lethal to P. falciparum and result in a delayed death-like phenotype that is characterized by defective ribosome homeostasis and stalled protein synthesis. Our data furthermore suggest that FK506, unlike the action of this drug in model organisms, exerts its antiproliferative activity in a PfFKBP35-independent manner and, using cellular thermal shift assays, we identify putative FK506-targets beyond PfFKBP35. In addition to revealing first insights into the function of PfFKBP35, our results show that FKBP-binding drugs can adopt non-canonical modes of action - with major implications for the development of FK506-derived molecules active against Plasmodium parasites and other eukaryotic pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Basil T Thommen
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health InstituteAllschwilSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Jerzy M Dziekan
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
| | - Fiona Achcar
- Wellcome Center for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of GlasgowGlasgowUnited Kingdom
- Institute for Parasitology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Seth Tjia
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
| | - Armin Passecker
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health InstituteAllschwilSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | | | - Christin Gumpp
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health InstituteAllschwilSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | | | - Matthias Rottmann
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health InstituteAllschwilSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Christof Grüring
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health InstituteAllschwilSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
| | - Matthias Marti
- Wellcome Center for Integrative Parasitology, Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, University of GlasgowGlasgowUnited Kingdom
- Institute for Parasitology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Zbynek Bozdech
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological UniversitySingaporeSingapore
| | - Nicolas MB Brancucci
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Infection Biology, Swiss Tropical and Public Health InstituteAllschwilSwitzerland
- University of BaselBaselSwitzerland
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22
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Kitawa YS, Asfaw ZG. Space-time modelling of monthly malaria incidence for seasonal associated drivers and early epidemic detection in Southern Ethiopia. Malar J 2023; 22:301. [PMID: 37814300 PMCID: PMC10563281 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04742-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although Ethiopia has made great strides in recent years to reduce the threat of malaria, the disease remains a significant issue in most districts of the country. It constantly disappears in parts of the areas before reappearing in others with erratic transmission rates. Thus, developing a malaria epidemic early warning system is important to support the prevention and control of the incidence. METHODS Space-time malaria risk mapping is essential to monitor and evaluate priority zones, refocus intervention, and enable planning for future health targets. From August 2013 to May 2019, the researcher considered an aggregated count of genus Plasmodium falciparum from 149 districts in Southern Ethiopia. Afterwards, a malaria epidemic early warning system was developed using model-based geostatistics, which helped to chart the disease's spread and future management. RESULTS Risk factors like precipitation, temperature, humidity, and nighttime light are significantly associated with malaria with different rates across the districts. Districts in the southwest, including Selamago, Bero, and Hamer, had higher rates of malaria risk, whereas in the south and centre like Arbaminch and Hawassa had moderate rates. The distribution is inconsistent and varies across time and space with the seasons. CONCLUSION Despite the importance of spatial correlation in disease risk mapping, it may occasionally be a good idea to generate epidemic early warning independently in each district to get a quick picture of disease risk. A system like this is essential for spotting numerous inconsistencies in lower administrative levels early enough to take corrective action before outbreaks arise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonas Shuke Kitawa
- Department of Statistics, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
| | - Zeytu Gashaw Asfaw
- Department of Bio-statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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23
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Jamwal A, Constantin CF, Hirschi S, Henrich S, Bildl W, Fakler B, Draper SJ, Schulte U, Higgins MK. Erythrocyte invasion-neutralising antibodies prevent Plasmodium falciparum RH5 from binding to basigin-containing membrane protein complexes. eLife 2023; 12:e83681. [PMID: 37796723 PMCID: PMC10569788 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Basigin is an essential host receptor for invasion of Plasmodium falciparum into human erythrocytes, interacting with parasite surface protein PfRH5. PfRH5 is a leading blood-stage malaria vaccine candidate and a target of growth-inhibitory antibodies. Here, we show that erythrocyte basigin is exclusively found in one of two macromolecular complexes, bound either to plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase 1/4 (PMCA1/4) or to monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1). PfRH5 binds to each of these complexes with a higher affinity than to isolated basigin ectodomain, making it likely that these are the physiological targets of PfRH5. PMCA-mediated Ca2+ export is not affected by PfRH5, making it unlikely that this is the mechanism underlying changes in calcium flux at the interface between an erythrocyte and the invading parasite. However, our studies rationalise the function of the most effective growth-inhibitory antibodies targeting PfRH5. While these antibodies do not reduce the binding of PfRH5 to monomeric basigin, they do reduce its binding to basigin-PMCA and basigin-MCT complexes. This indicates that the most effective PfRH5-targeting antibodies inhibit growth by sterically blocking the essential interaction of PfRH5 with basigin in its physiological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Jamwal
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Stephan Hirschi
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Henrich
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Wolfgang Bildl
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
| | - Bernd Fakler
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSFreiburgGermany
| | - Simon J Draper
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Uwe Schulte
- Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSFreiburgGermany
| | - Matthew K Higgins
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Building, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
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24
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Adam M, Nahzat S, Kakar Q, Assada M, Witkowski B, Tag Eldin Elshafie A, Abuobaida D, Safi N, Khan MA, Nagi M, Mustafa SA, Kohestani K, Muhammad J, Khim N, Al-Hadi M, Elfaki TM, Habib MN, Khairy AKA, Hamid H, Uddin Z, Amer Y, Hassan AH, Elhag MS, Sediqi AW, Kakar I, Abdul-Ghani R, Amran JGH, Abdallrahim TA, Tamim MS, Aljasari A, Rasmussen C, Azkoul L, Warsame M. Antimalarial drug efficacy and resistance in malaria-endemic countries in HANMAT-PIAM_net countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region 2016-2020: Clinical and genetic studies. Trop Med Int Health 2023; 28:817-829. [PMID: 37705047 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/15/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The World Health Organization recommends regular monitoring of the efficacy of nationally recommended antimalarial drugs. We present the results of studies on the efficacy of recommended antimalarials and molecular markers of artemisinin and partner resistance in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. METHODS Single-arm prospective studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of artesunate-sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (ASSP) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in all countries, or dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) in Sudan for the treatment of Plasmodium falciparum. The efficacy of chloroquine (CQ) and AL for the treatment of Plasmodium vivax was evaluated in Afghanistan and Somalia, respectively. Patients were treated and monitored for 28 (CQ, ASSP and AL) or 42 (DP) days. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-corrected cure rate and parasite positivity rate at Day 3 were estimated. Mutations in the P. falciparum kelch 13 (Pfk13) gene and amplifications of plasmepsin (Pfpm2) and multidrug resistance-1 (Pfmdr-1) genes were also studied. RESULTS A total of 1680 (249 for ASSP, 1079 for AL and 352 for DP) falciparum cases were successfully assessed. A PCR-adjusted ASSP cure rate of 100% was observed in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For AL, the cure rate was 100% in all but four sites in Sudan, where cure rates ranged from 92.1% to 98.8%. All but one patient were parasite-free at Day 3. For P. vivax, cure rates were 98.2% for CQ and 100% for AL. None of the samples from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen had a Pfk13 mutation known to be associated with artemisinin resistance. In Sudan, the validated Pfk13 R622I mutation accounted for 53.8% (14/26) of the detected non-synonymous Pfk13 mutations, most of which were repeatedly detected in Gadaref. A prevalence of 2.7% and 9.3% of Pfmdr1 amplification was observed in Pakistan and Yemen, respectively. CONCLUSION High efficacy of ASSP, AL and DP in the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum infection and of CQ and AL in the treatment of P. vivax was observed in the respective countries. The repeated detection of a relatively high rate of Pfk13 R622I mutation in Sudan underscores the need for close monitoring of the efficacy of recommended ACTs, parasite clearance rates and Pfk13 mutations in Sudan and beyond. Registration numbers of the trials: ACTRN12622000944730 and ACTRN12622000873729 for Afghanistan, ACTRN12620000426987 and ACTRN12617001025325 for Pakistan, ACTRN12618001224213 for Somalia, ACTRN12617000276358, ACTRN12622000930785 and ACTRN12618001800213 for Sudan and ACTRN12617000283370 for Yemen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sami Nahzat
- National Malaria and Leishmania Control Programme, Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | - Methaq Assada
- National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Sana'a, Yemen
| | - Benoit Witkowski
- Malaria Research Unit, Pasteur Institute of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | | | - Duha Abuobaida
- Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health, Khartoum, Sudan
| | | | - Munir Ahmed Khan
- Provincial Malaria and VBDs Control Programme, Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
| | - Mustafa Nagi
- National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Sana'a, Yemen
| | - Sayed Ali Mustafa
- Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Khalilahmad Kohestani
- National Malaria and Leishmania Control Programme, Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Jamil Muhammad
- Provincial Malaria and VBDs Control Programme, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
| | - Nimol Khim
- Malaria Research Unit, Pasteur Institute of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Mohammed Al-Hadi
- National Malaria Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Sana'a, Yemen
| | - Tarig Mohamed Elfaki
- Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Muhammad Naeem Habib
- Malaria & Other Vector Borne Disease Program, Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | - Hamida Hamid
- Malaria & Other Vector Borne Disease Program, Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Zain Uddin
- District Headquarter Hospital, Zhob, Pakistan
| | - Yahya Amer
- Almarawiah Hospital Ministry of Health, Al Mahrah, Yemen
| | | | - Mousab Siddig Elhag
- Communicable Diseases Control Directorate, Federal Ministry of Health, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Ahmad Walid Sediqi
- Global Fund Programme, United Nations Development Programme, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | - Inamullah Kakar
- Directorate of Malaria Control, Common Management Unit Global Fund grant for Malaria Control, Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Rashad Abdul-Ghani
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sana'a University, Sana'a, Yemen
| | | | | | - Mohammad Shoaib Tamim
- Malaria & Other Vector Borne Disease Program, Ministry of Public Health, Kabul, Afghanistan
| | | | | | | | - Marian Warsame
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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25
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Davies H, Belda H, Broncel M, Dalimot J, Treeck M. PerTurboID, a targeted in situ method reveals the impact of kinase deletion on its local protein environment in the cytoadhesion complex of malaria-causing parasites. eLife 2023; 12:e86367. [PMID: 37737226 PMCID: PMC10564455 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Reverse genetics is key to understanding protein function, but the mechanistic connection between a gene of interest and the observed phenotype is not always clear. Here we describe the use of proximity labeling using TurboID and site-specific quantification of biotinylated peptides to measure changes to the local protein environment of selected targets upon perturbation. We apply this technique, which we call PerTurboID, to understand how the Plasmodium falciparum-exported kinase, FIKK4.1, regulates the function of the major virulence factor of the malaria-causing parasite, PfEMP1. We generated independent TurboID fusions of two proteins that are predicted substrates of FIKK4.1 in a FIKK4.1 conditional KO parasite line. Comparing the abundance of site-specific biotinylated peptides between wildtype and kinase deletion lines reveals the differential accessibility of proteins to biotinylation, indicating changes to localization, protein-protein interactions, or protein structure which are mediated by FIKK4.1 activity. We further show that FIKK4.1 is likely the only FIKK kinase that controls surface levels of PfEMP1, but not other surface antigens, on the infected red blood cell under standard culture conditions. We believe PerTurboID is broadly applicable to study the impact of genetic or environmental perturbation on a selected cellular niche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heledd Davies
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Hugo Belda
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Malgorzata Broncel
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Jill Dalimot
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Moritz Treeck
- Signalling in Apicomplexan Parasites Laboratory, The Francis Crick InstituteLondonUnited Kingdom
- Cell Biology of Host-Pathogen Interaction Laboratory, Gulbenkian Institute of ScienceOeirasPortugal
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Mandt REK, Luth MR, Tye MA, Mazitschek R, Ottilie S, Winzeler EA, Lafuente-Monasterio MJ, Gamo FJ, Wirth DF, Lukens AK. Diverse evolutionary pathways challenge the use of collateral sensitivity as a strategy to suppress resistance. eLife 2023; 12:e85023. [PMID: 37737220 PMCID: PMC10695565 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Drug resistance remains a major obstacle to malaria control and eradication efforts, necessitating the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat this disease. Drug combinations based on collateral sensitivity, wherein resistance to one drug causes increased sensitivity to the partner drug, have been proposed as an evolutionary strategy to suppress the emergence of resistance in pathogen populations. In this study, we explore collateral sensitivity between compounds targeting the Plasmodium dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). We profiled the cross-resistance and collateral sensitivity phenotypes of several DHODH mutant lines to a diverse panel of DHODH inhibitors. We focus on one compound, TCMDC-125334, which was active against all mutant lines tested, including the DHODH C276Y line, which arose in selections with the clinical candidate DSM265. In six selections with TCMDC-125334, the most common mechanism of resistance to this compound was copy number variation of the dhodh locus, although we did identify one mutation, DHODH I263S, which conferred resistance to TCMDC-125334 but not DSM265. We found that selection of the DHODH C276Y mutant with TCMDC-125334 yielded additional genetic changes in the dhodh locus. These double mutant parasites exhibited decreased sensitivity to TCMDC-125334 and were highly resistant to DSM265. Finally, we tested whether collateral sensitivity could be exploited to suppress the emergence of resistance in the context of combination treatment by exposing wildtype parasites to both DSM265 and TCMDC-125334 simultaneously. This selected for parasites with a DHODH V532A mutation which were cross-resistant to both compounds and were as fit as the wildtype parent in vitro. The emergence of these cross-resistant, evolutionarily fit parasites highlights the mutational flexibility of the DHODH enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca EK Mandt
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
| | - Madeline R Luth
- Division of Host Pathogen Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Mark A Tye
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
- Harvard Graduate School of Arts and SciencesCambridgeUnited States
| | - Ralph Mazitschek
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
- Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General HospitalBostonUnited States
| | - Sabine Ottilie
- Division of Host Pathogen Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
| | - Elizabeth A Winzeler
- Division of Host Pathogen Systems and Therapeutics, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San DiegoSan DiegoUnited States
- Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, San DiegoLa JollaUnited States
| | | | - Francisco Javier Gamo
- Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus, Diseases of the Developing World, GlaxoSmithKlineMadridSpain
| | - Dyann F Wirth
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad InstituteCambridgeUnited States
| | - Amanda K Lukens
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBostonUnited States
- Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program, The Broad InstituteCambridgeUnited States
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Andika B, Mobegi V, Gathii K, Nyataya J, Maina N, Awinda G, Mutai B, Waitumbi J. Plasmodium falciparum population structure inferred by msp1 amplicon sequencing of parasites collected from febrile patients in Kenya. Malar J 2023; 22:263. [PMID: 37689681 PMCID: PMC10492417 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04700-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Multiplicity of infection (MOI) is an important measure of Plasmodium falciparum diversity, usually derived from the highly polymorphic genes, such as msp1, msp2 and glurp as well as microsatellites. Conventional methods of deriving MOI lack fine resolution needed to discriminate minor clones. This study used amplicon sequencing (AmpliSeq) of P. falciparum msp1 (Pfmsp1) to measure spatial and temporal genetic diversity of P. falciparum. METHODS 264 P. falciparum positive blood samples collected from areas of differing malaria endemicities between 2010 and 2019 were used. Pfmsp1 gene was amplified and amplicon libraries sequenced on Illumina MiSeq. Sequences were aligned against a reference sequence (NC_004330.2) and clustered to detect fragment length polymorphism and amino acid variations. RESULTS Children < 5 years had higher parasitaemia (median = 23.5 ± 5 SD, p = 0.03) than the > 5-14 (= 25.3 ± 5 SD), and those > 15 (= 25.1 ± 6 SD). Of the alleles detected, 553 (54.5%) were K1, 250 (24.7%) MAD20 and 211 (20.8%) RO33 that grouped into 19 K1 allelic families (108-270 bp), 14 MAD20 (108-216 bp) and one RO33 (153 bp). AmpliSeq revealed nucleotide polymorphisms in alleles that had similar sizes, thus increasing the K1 to 104, 58 for MAD20 and 14 for RO33. By AmpliSeq, the mean MOI was 4.8 (± 0.78, 95% CI) for the malaria endemic Lake Victoria region, 4.4 (± 1.03, 95% CI) for the epidemic prone Kisii Highland and 3.4 (± 0.62, 95% CI) for the seasonal malaria Semi-Arid region. MOI decreased with age: 4.5 (± 0.76, 95% CI) for children < 5 years, compared to 3.9 (± 0.70, 95% CI) for ages 5 to 14 and 2.7 (± 0.90, 95% CI) for those > 15. Females' MOI (4.2 ± 0.66, 95% CI) was not different from males 4.0 (± 0.61, 95% CI). In all regions, the number of alleles were high in the 2014-2015 period, more so in the Lake Victoria and the seasonal transmission arid regions. CONCLUSION These findings highlight the added advantages of AmpliSeq in haplotype discrimination and the associated improvement in unravelling complexity of P. falciparum population structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Andika
- Basic Science Laboratory, United States Army Medical Research Directorate, Kisumu, Kenya
- Department of Biochemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Victor Mobegi
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Kimita Gathii
- Basic Science Laboratory, United States Army Medical Research Directorate, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Josphat Nyataya
- Basic Science Laboratory, United States Army Medical Research Directorate, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Naomi Maina
- Department of Biochemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - George Awinda
- Basic Science Laboratory, United States Army Medical Research Directorate, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - Beth Mutai
- Basic Science Laboratory, United States Army Medical Research Directorate, Kisumu, Kenya
| | - John Waitumbi
- Basic Science Laboratory, United States Army Medical Research Directorate, Kisumu, Kenya.
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Tsoumani ME, Voyiatzaki C, Efstathiou A. Malaria Vaccines: From the Past towards the mRNA Vaccine Era. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1452. [PMID: 37766129 PMCID: PMC10536368 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11091452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium spp. is the etiological agent of malaria, a life-threatening parasitic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Malaria remains a major global health challenge, particularly in endemic regions. Over the years, various vaccine candidates targeting different stages of Plasmodium parasite life-cycle have been explored, including subunit vaccines, vectored vaccines, and whole organism vaccines with Mosquirix, a vaccine based on a recombinant protein, as the only currently approved vaccine for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Despite the aforementioned notable progress, challenges such as antigenic diversity, limited efficacy, resistant parasites escaping protective immunity and the need for multiple doses have hindered the development of a highly efficacious malaria vaccine. The recent success of mRNA-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 has sparked renewed interest in mRNA vaccine platforms. The unique mRNA vaccine features, including their potential for rapid development, scalability, and flexibility in antigen design, make them a promising avenue for malaria vaccine development. This review provides an overview of the malaria vaccines' evolution from the past towards the mRNA vaccine era and highlights their advantages in overcoming the limitations of previous malaria vaccine candidates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E. Tsoumani
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, 12243 Aigaleo, Greece; (M.E.T.); (C.V.)
| | - Chrysa Voyiatzaki
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, 12243 Aigaleo, Greece; (M.E.T.); (C.V.)
| | - Antonia Efstathiou
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, 12243 Aigaleo, Greece; (M.E.T.); (C.V.)
- Immunology of Infection Group, Department of Microbiology, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, 11521 Athens, Greece
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Nganyewo NN, Bojang F, Oriero EC, Drammeh NF, Ajibola O, Mbye H, Jawara AS, Corea S, Awandare GA, D'Alessandro U, Amenga-Etego LN, Amambua-Ngwa A. Recent increase in low complexity polygenomic infections and sialic acid-independent invasion pathways in Plasmodium falciparum from Western Gambia. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:309. [PMID: 37653544 PMCID: PMC10472613 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-023-05929-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum utilizes multiple alternative receptor-ligand interactions for the invasion of human erythrocytes. While some P. falciparum clones make use of sialic acid (SA) residues on the surface of the human glycophorin receptors to invade the erythrocyte, others use alternative receptors independent of sialic acid residues. We hypothesized that over the years, intensified malaria control interventions and declining prevalence in The Gambia have resulted in a selection of parasites with a dominant invasion pathways and ligand expression profiles. METHODS Blood samples were collected from 65 malaria-infected participants with uncomplicated malaria across 3 years (2015, 2016, and 2021). Genetic diversity was determined by genotyping the merozoite surface protein 2 (msp2) polymorphic gene of P. falciparum. Erythrocyte invasion phenotypes were determined using neuraminidase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin enzymes, known to cleave different receptors from the surface of the erythrocyte. Schizont-stage transcript levels were obtained for a panel of 6 P. falciparum invasion ligand genes (eba175, eba181, Rh2b, Rh4, Rh5, and clag2) using 48 successfully cultured isolates. RESULTS Though the allelic heterozygosity of msp2 repeat region decreased as expected with reduced transmission, there was an increase in infections with more than a single msp2 allelotype from 2015 to 2021. The invasion phenotypes of these isolates were mostly SA independent with a continuous increase from 2015 to 2021. Isolates from 2021 were highly inhibited by chymotrypsin treatment compared to isolates from 2015 and 2016. Higher invasion inhibition for 2021 isolates was further obtained following erythrocyte treatment with a combination of chymotrypsin and trypsin. The transcript levels of invasion ligand genes varied across years. However, levels of clag2, a rhoptry-associated protein, were higher in 2015 and 2016 isolates than in 2021 isolates, while Rh5 levels were higher in 2021 compared to other years. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these findings suggest increasing mixed infections with an increase in the use of sialic-acid independent invasion pathways by P. falciparum clinical isolates in the Western part of Gambia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nora Nghochuzie Nganyewo
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Fatoumata Bojang
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Eniyou Cheryll Oriero
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Ndey Fatou Drammeh
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Olumide Ajibola
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Haddijatou Mbye
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Aminata Seedy Jawara
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Simon Corea
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Gordon Akanzuwine Awandare
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Umberto D'Alessandro
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia
| | - Lucas N Amenga-Etego
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Alfred Amambua-Ngwa
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, The Gambia.
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Kojom Foko LP, Narang G, Jakhan J, Tamang S, Moun A, Singh V. Nationwide spatiotemporal drug resistance genetic profiling from over three decades in Indian Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax isolates. Malar J 2023; 22:236. [PMID: 37582796 PMCID: PMC10428610 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04651-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug resistance is a serious impediment to efficient control and elimination of malaria in endemic areas. METHODS This study aimed at analysing the genetic profile of molecular drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax parasites from India over a ~ 30-year period (1993-2019). Blood samples of P. falciparum and/or P. vivax-infected patients were collected from 14 regions across India. Plasmodial genome was extracted and used for PCR amplification and sequencing of drug resistance genes in P. falciparum (crt, dhps, dhfr, mdr1, k13) and P. vivax (crt-o, dhps, dhfr, mdr1, k12) field isolates. RESULTS The double mutant pfcrt SVMNT was highly predominant across the country over three decades, with restricted presence of triple mutant CVIET from Maharashtra in 2012. High rates of pfdhfr-pfdhps quadruple mutants were observed with marginal presence of "fully resistant" quintuple mutant ACIRNI-ISGEAA. Also, resistant pfdhfr and pfdhps haplotype has significantly increased in Delhi between 1994 and 2010. For pfmdr1, only 86Y and 184F mutations were present while no pfk13 mutations associated with artemisinin resistance were observed. Regarding P. vivax isolates, the pvcrt-o K10 "AAG" insertion was absent in all samples collected from Delhi in 2017. Pvdhps double mutant SGNAV was found only in Goa samples of year 2008 for the first time. The pvmdr1 908L, 958M and 1076L mutations were highly prevalent in Delhi and Haryana between 2015 and 2019 at complete fixation. One nonsynonymous novel pvk12 polymorphism was identified (K264R) in Goa. CONCLUSIONS These findings support continuous surveillance and characterization of P. falciparum and P. vivax populations as proxy for effectiveness of anti-malarial drugs in India, especially for independent emergence of artemisinin drug resistance as recently seen in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loick P Kojom Foko
- Parasite & Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Geetika Narang
- Parasite & Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Jahnvi Jakhan
- Parasite & Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Suman Tamang
- Parasite & Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Amit Moun
- Parasite & Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India
| | - Vineeta Singh
- Parasite & Host Biology Group, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Dwarka, Sector 8, New Delhi, 110077, India.
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Parisey M, Houze S, Bailly J, Taudon N, Jaffal K, Argy N, Rouzaud C, Mégarbane B, Lariven S, Yazdanpanah Y, Matheron S. Late dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine treatment failure of P. falciparum malaria attack related to insufficient dosing in an obese patient. IDCases 2023; 33:e01847. [PMID: 37528867 PMCID: PMC10387561 DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2023.e01847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
We report the case of an obese patient who experienced late failure on day28 of a well-conducted treatment with artesunate, followed by dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) for a severe P. falciparum malaria attack. The same P. falciparum strain was evidenced at day0 and day28. Genotypic and phenotypic resistance tests could not explain this treatment failure. The low plasma piperaquine concentration at failure may explain the poor elimination of residual parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Parisey
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Delafontaine Hospital, Saint Denis, France
| | - S. Houze
- Laboratoire parasitologie, APHP, Bichat Hospital, F-75018 Paris, France
- Centre national de référence sur le paludisme, APHP, Bichat Hospital, F-75018 Paris, France
- Université de Paris, MERIT UMR 261, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - J. Bailly
- Centre national de référence sur le paludisme, APHP, Bichat Hospital, F-75018 Paris, France
- Université de Paris, MERIT UMR 261, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - N. Taudon
- Institut de recherche biomédicale des armées, Unité Développements Analytiques et Bioanalyse, 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, France
| | - K. Jaffal
- Université de Paris, MERIT UMR 261, F-75006 Paris, France
- Department of Medical and Toxicological Critical Care, Lariboisière Hospital, Paris, France
- INSERM UMRS, 1144 Paris, France
| | - N. Argy
- Laboratoire parasitologie, APHP, Bichat Hospital, F-75018 Paris, France
- Centre national de référence sur le paludisme, APHP, Bichat Hospital, F-75018 Paris, France
- Université de Paris, MERIT UMR 261, F-75006 Paris, France
| | - C. Rouzaud
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - B. Mégarbane
- Université de Paris, MERIT UMR 261, F-75006 Paris, France
- Department of Medical and Toxicological Critical Care, Lariboisière Hospital, Paris, France
- INSERM UMRS, 1144 Paris, France
| | - S. Lariven
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Y. Yazdanpanah
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
- Infection Antimicrobials Modelling Evolution (IAME), UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - S. Matheron
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
- Infection Antimicrobials Modelling Evolution (IAME), UMR 1137, INSERM, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
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Sinha S, Medhi B, Radotra BD, Batovska D, Markova N, Sehgal R. Evaluation of chalcone derivatives for their role as antiparasitic and neuroprotectant in experimentally induced cerebral malaria mouse model. 3 Biotech 2023; 13:260. [PMID: 37405268 PMCID: PMC10314887 DOI: 10.1007/s13205-023-03676-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cerebral malaria is a severe complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection with a complex pathophysiology. The current course of treatment is ineffective in lowering mortality or post-treatment side effects such as neurological and cognitive abnormalities. Chalcones are enormously distributed in spices, fruits, vegetables, tea, and soy-based foodstuffs that are well known for their antimalarial activity, and in recent years they have been widely explored for brain diseases like Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, considering the previous background of chalcones serving as both antimalarial and neuroprotective, the present study aimed to study the effect of these chalcone derivatives on an experimental model of cerebral malaria (CM). CM-induced mice were tested behaviorally (elevated plus maze, rota rod test, and hanging wire test), biochemically (nitric oxide estimation, cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70, TNF, IFN-y), histopathologically and immunohistochemically, and finally ultrastructural changes were examined using a transmission electron microscope. All three chalcones treated groups showed a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in percentage parasitemia at the 10th day post-infection. Mild anxiolytic activity of chalcones as compared to standard treatment with quinine has been observed during behavior tests. No pigment deposition was observed in the QNN-T group and other chalcone derivative treated groups. Rosette formation was seen in the derivative 1 treated group. The present derivatives may be pioneered by various research and science groups to design such a scaffold that will be a future antimalarial with therapeutic potential or, because of its immunomodulatory properties, it could be used as an adjunct therapy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03676-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shweta Sinha
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012 India
| | - Bikash Medhi
- Department of Pharmacology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - B. D. Radotra
- Department of Histopathology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Daniela Batovska
- Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nadezhda Markova
- Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Rakesh Sehgal
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012 India
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Birczyńska-Zych M, Czepiel J, Łabanowska M, Kucharska M, Kurdziel M, Biesiada G, Garlicki A, Wesełucha-Birczyńska A. Course of Plasmodium infection studied using 2D-COS on human erythrocytes. Malar J 2023; 22:188. [PMID: 37340440 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04611-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The threat of malaria is still present in the world. Recognizing the type of parasite is important in determining a treatment plan. The golden routine involves microscopic diagnostics of Giemsa-stained thin blood smears, however, alternative methods are also constantly being sought, in order to gain an additional insight into the course of the disease. Spectroscopic methods, e.g., Raman spectroscopy, are becoming increasingly popular, due to the non-destructive nature of these techniques. METHODS The study included patients hospitalized for malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax, in the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital in Krakow, Poland, as well as healthy volunteers. The aim of this study was to assess the possibility of using Raman spectroscopy and 2D correlation (2D-COS) spectroscopy in understanding the structural changes in erythrocytes depending on the type of attacking parasite. EPR spectroscopy and two-trace two-dimensional (2T2D) correlation was also used to examine the specificity of paramagnetic centres found in the infected human blood. RESULTS Two-dimensional (2D) correlation spectroscopy facilitates the identification of the hidden relationship, allowing for the discrimination of Raman spectra obtained during the course of disease in human red blood cells, infected by P. falciparum or P. vivax. Synchronous cross-peaks indicate the processes taking place inside the erythrocyte during the export of the parasite protein towards the cell membrane. In contrast, moieties that generate asynchronous 2D cross-peaks are characteristic of the respective ligand-receptor domains. These changes observed during the course of the infection, have different dynamics for P. falciparum and P. vivax, as indicated by the asynchronous correlation cross-peaks. Two-trace two-dimensional (2T2D) spectroscopy, applied to EPR spectra of blood at the beginning of the infection, showed differences between P. falciparum and P. vivax. CONCLUSIONS A unique feature of 2D-COS is the ability to discriminate the collected Raman and EPR spectra. The changes observed during the course of a malaria infection have different dynamics for P. falciparum and P. vivax, indicated by the reverse sequence of events. For each type of parasite, a specific recycling process for iron was observed in the infected blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malwina Birczyńska-Zych
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University Hospital in Kraków, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
| | - Jacek Czepiel
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University Hospital in Kraków, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
| | - Maria Łabanowska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Martyna Kucharska
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Magdalena Kurdziel
- Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 2, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
| | - Grażyna Biesiada
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University Hospital in Kraków, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
| | - Aleksander Garlicki
- Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Jagiellonian University, Medical College, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The University Hospital in Kraków, Jakubowskiego 2, 30-688, Kraków, Poland
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Alebachew M, Gelaye W, Abate MA, Sime H, Hailgiorgis H, Gidey B, Haile M, Assefa G, Bekele W, Belay H, Parr JB, Tasew G, Mohammed H, Assefa A. Therapeutic efficacy of pyronaridine-artesunate (Pyramax ®) against uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum infection at Hamusit Health Centre, Northwest Ethiopia. Malar J 2023; 22:186. [PMID: 37330475 PMCID: PMC10276904 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04618-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early case detection and prompt treatment are important malaria control and elimination strategies. However, the emergence and rapid spread of drug-resistant strains present a major challenge. This study reports the first therapeutic efficacy profile of pyronaridine-artesunate against uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum in Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS This single-arm prospective study with 42-day follow-up period was conducted from March to May 2021 at Hamusit Health Centre using the World Health Organization (WHO) therapeutic efficacy study protocol. A total of 90 adults ages 18 and older with uncomplicated falciparum malaria consented and were enrolled in the study. A standard single-dose regimen of pyronaridine-artesunate was administered daily for 3 days, and clinical and parasitological outcomes were assessed over 42 days of follow-up. Thick and thin blood films were prepared from capillary blood and examined using light microscopy. Haemoglobin was measured and dried blood spots were collected on day 0 and on the day of failure. RESULTS Out of 90 patients, 86/90 (95.6%) completed the 42-day follow-up study period. The overall PCR-corrected cure rate (adequate clinical and parasitological response) was very high at 86/87 (98.9%) (95% CI: 92.2-99.8%) with no serious adverse events. The parasite clearance rate was high with fast resolution of clinical symptoms; 86/90 (95.6%) and 100% of the study participants cleared parasitaemia and fever on day 3, respectively. CONCLUSION Pyronaridine-artesunate was highly efficacious and safe against uncomplicated P. falciparum in this study population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mihreteab Alebachew
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wollo University, P.O Box 1145, Dessie, Ethiopia
| | - Woyneshet Gelaye
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Megbaru Alemu Abate
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
- The Unversity of Queensland, School of Public Health, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Heven Sime
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Disease Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Henok Hailgiorgis
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Disease Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Bokretsion Gidey
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Disease Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Gudissa Assefa
- Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Worku Bekele
- World Health Organization, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Habtamu Belay
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wolkite University, Wolkite, Ethiopia
| | - Jonathan B. Parr
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC USA
| | - Geremew Tasew
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Disease Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Hussein Mohammed
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Disease Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Ashenafi Assefa
- Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases Research Team, Bacterial, Parasitic and Zoonotic Disease Research Directorate, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Institute for Global Health and Infectious Disease, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC USA
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Kariuki SN, Macharia AW, Makale J, Nyamu W, Hoffman SL, Kapulu MC, Bejon P, Rayner JC, Williams TN. The Dantu blood group prevents parasite growth in vivo: Evidence from a controlled human malaria infection study. eLife 2023; 12:e83874. [PMID: 37310872 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The long co-evolution of Homo sapiens and Plasmodium falciparum has resulted in the selection of numerous human genetic variants that confer an advantage against severe malaria and death. One such variant is the Dantu blood group antigen, which is associated with 74% protection against severe and complicated P. falciparum malaria infections in homozygous individuals, similar to that provided by the sickle haemoglobin allele (HbS). Recent in vitro studies suggest that Dantu exerts this protection by increasing the surface tension of red blood cells, thereby impeding the ability of P. falciparum merozoites to invade them and reducing parasite multiplication. However, no studies have yet explored this hypothesis in vivo. Methods We investigated the effect of Dantu on early phase P. falciparum (Pf) infections in a controlled human malaria infection (CHMI) study. 141 sickle-negative Kenyan adults were inoculated with 3.2 × 103 aseptic, purified, cryopreserved Pf sporozoites (PfSPZ Challenge) then monitored for blood-stage parasitaemia for 21 days by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)analysis of the 18S ribosomal RNA P. falciparum gene. The primary endpoint was blood-stage P. falciparum parasitaemia of ≥500/μl while the secondary endpoint was the receipt of antimalarial treatment in the presence of parasitaemia of any density. On study completion, all participants were genotyped both for Dantu and for four other polymorphisms that are associated with protection against severe falciparum malaria: α+-thalassaemia, blood group O, G6PD deficiency, and the rs4951074 allele in the red cell calcium transporter ATP2B4. Results The primary endpoint was reached in 25/111 (22.5%) non-Dantu subjects in comparison to 0/27 (0%) Dantu heterozygotes and 0/3 (0.0%) Dantu homozygotes (p=0.01). Similarly, 49/111 (44.1%) non-Dantu subjects reached the secondary endpoint in comparison to only 7/27 (25.9%) and 0/3 (0.0%) Dantu heterozygotes and homozygotes, respectively (p=0.021). No significant impacts on either outcome were seen for any of the other genetic variants under study. Conclusions This study reveals, for the first time, that the Dantu blood group is associated with high-level protection against early, non-clinical, P. falciparum malaria infections in vivo. Learning more about the mechanisms involved could potentially lead to new approaches to the prevention or treatment of the disease. Our study illustrates the power of CHMI with PfSPZ Challenge for directly testing the protective impact of genotypes previously identified using other methods. Funding The Kenya CHMI study was supported by an award from Wellcome (grant number 107499). SK was supported by a Training Fellowship (216444/Z/19/Z), TNW by a Senior Research Fellowship (202800/Z/16/Z), JCR by an Investigator Award (220266/Z/20/Z), and core support to the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in Kilifi, Kenya (203077), all from Wellcome. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication. For the purpose of Open Access, the authors have applied a CC BY public copyright license to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. Clinical trial number NCT02739763.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia N Kariuki
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Alexander W Macharia
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Johnstone Makale
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | - Wilfred Nyamu
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
| | | | - Melissa C Kapulu
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Bejon
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Julian C Rayner
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas N Williams
- Centre for Geographic Medicine Research (Coast), KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya
- Institute for Global Health Innovation, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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de Abreu-Fernandes R, Almeida-de-Oliveira NK, Gama BE, Gomes LR, De Lavigne Mello AR, Queiroz LTD, Barros JDA, Alecrim MDGC, Medeiros de Souza R, Pratt-Riccio LR, Brasil P, Daniel-Ribeiro CT, Ferreira-da-Cruz MDF. Plasmodium falciparum Chloroquine- pfcrt Resistant Haplotypes in Brazilian Endemic Areas Four Decades after CQ Withdrawn. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12050731. [PMID: 37242401 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Malaria is a public health problem worldwide. Despite global efforts to control it, antimalarial drug resistance remains a great challenge. In 2009, our team identified, for the first time in Brazil, chloroquine (CQ)-susceptible Plasmodium falciparum parasites in isolates from the Brazilian Amazon. The present study extends those observations to include survey samples from 2010 to 2018 from the Amazonas and Acre states for the purpose of tracking pfcrt molecular changes in P. falciparum parasites. (2) Objective: to investigate SNPs in the P. falciparum gene associated with chemoresistance to CQ (pfcrt). (3) Methods: Sixty-six P. falciparum samples from the Amazonas and Acre states were collected from 2010 to 2018 in patients diagnosed at the Reference Research Center for Treatment and Diagnosis of Malaria (CPD-Mal/Fiocruz), FMT-HVD and Acre Health Units. These samples were subjected to PCR and DNA Sanger sequencing to identify mutations in pfcrt (C72S, M74I, N75E, and K76T). (4) Results: Of the 66 P. falciparum samples genotyped for pfcrt, 94% carried CQ-resistant genotypes and only 4 showed a CQ pfcrt sensitive-wild type genotype, i.e., 1 from Barcelos and 3 from Manaus. (5) Conclusion: CQ-resistant P. falciparum populations are fixed, and thus, CQ cannot be reintroduced in malaria falciparum therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca de Abreu-Fernandes
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Reference Laboratory for Malaria in the Extra-Amazonian Region for the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária & Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
| | - Natália Ketrin Almeida-de-Oliveira
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Reference Laboratory for Malaria in the Extra-Amazonian Region for the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária & Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
| | - Bianca Ervatti Gama
- Centro de Transplante de Medula Óssea Laboratório de Oncovirologia, Instituto Nacional do Câncer, Rio de Janeiro 20230-130, Brazil
| | - Larissa Rodrigues Gomes
- Laboratório de Bioquímica e Proteínas de Peptídeos, CDTS Centro de Desenvolvimento Tecnológico em Saúde, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
| | - Aline Rosa De Lavigne Mello
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Reference Laboratory for Malaria in the Extra-Amazonian Region for the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária & Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
| | - Lucas Tavares de Queiroz
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
| | - Jacqueline de Aguiar Barros
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
- Núcleo de Controle da Malária/Departamento de Vigilância Epidemiológica/Coordenação Geral de Vigilância em Saúde/SESAU-RR, Boa Vista 69305-080, Brazil
| | | | - Rodrigo Medeiros de Souza
- Centro de Pesquisa em Doenças Infecciosas, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco 69920-900, Brazil
| | - Lilian Rose Pratt-Riccio
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Brasil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Reference Laboratory for Malaria in the Extra-Amazonian Region for the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária & Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
- Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21040-361, Brazil
| | - Cláudio Tadeu Daniel-Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Reference Laboratory for Malaria in the Extra-Amazonian Region for the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária & Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
| | - Maria de Fátima Ferreira-da-Cruz
- Laboratório de Pesquisa em Malária, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
- Centro de Pesquisa, Diagnóstico e Treinamento em Malária (CPD-Mal), Reference Laboratory for Malaria in the Extra-Amazonian Region for the Brazilian Ministry of Health, Secretaria de Vigilância Sanitária & Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro 21041-361, Brazil
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Swift RP, Elahi R, Rajaram K, Liu HB, Prigge ST. The Plasmodium falciparum apicoplast cysteine desulfurase provides sulfur for both iron-sulfur cluster assembly and tRNA modification. eLife 2023; 12:e84491. [PMID: 37166116 PMCID: PMC10219651 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Iron-sulfur clusters (FeS) are ancient and ubiquitous protein cofactors that play fundamental roles in many aspects of cell biology. These cofactors cannot be scavenged or trafficked within a cell and thus must be synthesized in any subcellular compartment where they are required. We examined the FeS synthesis proteins found in the relict plastid organelle, called the apicoplast, of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Using a chemical bypass method, we deleted four of the FeS pathway proteins involved in sulfur acquisition and cluster assembly and demonstrated that they are all essential for parasite survival. However, the effect that these deletions had on the apicoplast organelle differed. Deletion of the cysteine desulfurase SufS led to disruption of the apicoplast organelle and loss of the organellar genome, whereas the other deletions did not affect organelle maintenance. Ultimately, we discovered that the requirement of SufS for organelle maintenance is not driven by its role in FeS biosynthesis, but rather, by its function in generating sulfur for use by MnmA, a tRNA modifying enzyme that we localized to the apicoplast. Complementation of MnmA and SufS activity with a bacterial MnmA and its cognate cysteine desulfurase strongly suggests that the parasite SufS provides sulfur for both FeS biosynthesis and tRNA modification in the apicoplast. The dual role of parasite SufS is likely to be found in other plastid-containing organisms and highlights the central role of this enzyme in plastid biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Russell P Swift
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research InstituteBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Rubayet Elahi
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research InstituteBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Krithika Rajaram
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research InstituteBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Hans B Liu
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research InstituteBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Sean T Prigge
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
- The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research InstituteBaltimoreUnited States
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Panda M, Das B, Bantun F, Panda AK, Wahid M, Mandal RK, Qusty NF, Haque S, Ravindran B. Differential differentiation of B cell lymphopoiesis in lethal and non-lethal murine malaria models. Biotechnol Genet Eng Rev 2023:1-18. [PMID: 37144664 DOI: 10.1080/02648725.2023.2205200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
B cells in protection against malaria and need of experiencing many episodes in humans to achieve a state of immunity is largely unknown. The cellular basis of such defects in terms of B cell generation, maturation and trafficking was studied by taking Plasmodium chabaudi, a non-lethal and Plasmodium berghei, a lethal murine model. A flow cytometry (FCF) based evaluation was used to study alterations in generation and maintenance of B cells in patients with Plasmodium falciparum malaria as well as in murine malaria models. A significant accumulation of mature B cells in bone marrow and immature B cells in circulation was a feature observed only in lethal malaria. At peak parasitaemia, both the models induce a significant decrease in T2 (transitional) B cells with expansion of T1B cells. Studies in patients with acute Pf malaria showed a significant expansion of memory B cells and TB cells with a concomitant decrease in naive2 B cells as compared with healthy controls. This study clearly demonstrates that acute malarial infection induces major disturbances in B cell development in lymphoid organs and trafficking in periphery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhumita Panda
- Infectious Disease Biology Group, DBT-Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Bidyut Das
- Department of Internal Medicine, SCB Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha, India
| | - Farkad Bantun
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aditya K Panda
- Department of Biotechnology, Berhampur University, Bhanja Bihar, Berhampur, India
| | - Mohd Wahid
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Raju K Mandal
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naeem F Qusty
- Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shafiul Haque
- Research and Scientific Studies Unit, College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
- Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Beirut, Lebanon
- Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
| | - Balachandran Ravindran
- Infectious Disease Biology Group, DBT-Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
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Arzika II, Lobo NF, Lamine MM, Tidjani IA, Sandrine H, Sarrasin-Hubert V, Mahamadou A, Adehossi E, Sarr D, Mahmud O, Maman Laminou I. Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 polymorphisms identified after treatment failure with artemisinin-based combination therapy in Niger. Malar J 2023; 22:142. [PMID: 37127669 PMCID: PMC10150466 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04571-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the most effective treatment for malaria, and has significantly reduced morbimortality. Polymorphisms associated with the Plasmodium falciparum Kelch gene (Pfkelch13) have been associated with delayed parasite clearance even with ACT treatment. METHODS The Pfkelch13 gene was sequenced from P. falciparum infected patients (n = 159) with uncomplicated malaria in Niger. An adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) was reported in 155 patients. Four (n = 4) patients had treatment failure (TF) that were not reinfections-two of which had late parasitological failures (LPF) and two had late clinical failures (LCF). RESULTS Thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified of which seven were non-synonymous (C469R, T508S, R515T, A578S, I465V, I437V, F506L,), and three were synonymous (P443P, P715P, L514L). Three SNP (C469R, F506L, P715P) were present before ACT treatment, while seven mutations (C469R, T508S, R515T, L514L, P443P, I437V, I465V) were selected by artemether/lumefantrine (AL)-five of which were non-synonymous (C469R, T508S, R515T, I437V, I465V). Artesunate/amodiaquine (ASAQ) has selected any mutation. One sample presented three cumulatively non-synonymous SNPs-C469R, T508S, R515T. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates intra-host selection of Pfkelch13 gene by AL. The study highlights the importance of LCF and LPF parasites in the selection of resistance to ACT. Further studies using gene editing are required to confirm the potential implication of resistance to ACT with the most common R515T and T508S mutations. It would also be important to elucidate the role of cumulative mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Mahaman Moustapha Lamine
- Centre de Recherche Médicale et Sanitaire de Niamey, Niamey, Niger.
- Université André Salifou de Zinder, Zinder, Niger.
| | | | - Houzé Sandrine
- Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Paris, France
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Topazian HM, Schmit N, Gerard-Ursin I, Charles GD, Thompson H, Ghani AC, Winskill P. Modelling the relative cost-effectiveness of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine compared to investment in vector control or chemoprophylaxis. Vaccine 2023; 41:3215-3223. [PMID: 37080831 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The World Health Organization has recommended a 4-dose schedule of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) vaccine for children in regions of moderate to high P. falciparum transmission. Faced with limited supply and finite resources, global funders and domestic malaria control programs will need to examine the relative cost-effectiveness of RTS,S and identify target areas for vaccine implementation relative to scale-up of existing interventions. METHODS Using an individual-based mathematical model of P. falciparum, we modelled the cost-effectiveness of RTS,S across a range of settings in sub-Saharan Africa, incorporating various rainfall patterns, insecticide-treated net (ITN) use, treatment coverage, and parasite prevalence bands. We compare age-based and seasonal RTS,S administration to increasing ITN usage, switching to next generation ITNs in settings experiencing insecticide-resistance, and introduction of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) in areas of seasonal transmission. RESULTS For RTS,S to be the most cost-effective intervention option considered, the maximum cost per dose was less than $9.30 USD in 90.9% of scenarios. Nearly all (89.8%) values at or above $9.30 USD per dose were in settings with 60% established bed net use and / or with established SMC, and 76.3% were in the highest PfPR2-10 band modelled (40%). Addition of RTS,S to strategies involving 60% ITN use, increased ITN usage or a switch to PBO nets, and SMC, if eligible, still led to significant marginal case reductions, with a median of 2,653 (IQR: 1,741 to 3,966) cases averted per 100,000 people annually, and 82,270 (IQR: 54,034 to 123,105) cases averted per 100,000 fully vaccinated children (receiving at least three doses). CONCLUSIONS Use of RTS,S results in reductions in malaria cases and deaths even when layered upon existing interventions. When comparing relative cost-effectiveness, scale up of ITNs, introduction of SMC, and switching to new technology nets should be prioritized in eligible settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hillary M Topazian
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Nora Schmit
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Ines Gerard-Ursin
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Giovanni D Charles
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Hayley Thompson
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Azra C Ghani
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Winskill
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Valecha N. Keeping the momentum: suggestions for treatment policy updates in the final push to eliminate malaria in India. Malar J 2023; 22:128. [PMID: 37072795 PMCID: PMC10114449 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04558-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria case management with prompt and effective treatment is critical to minimize morbidity and mortality, reduce transmission and to prevent the emergence and spread of anti-malarial drug resistance. India has the highest burden of malaria in South East Asia Region and has made impressive progress in the reduction of the malaria burden in recent years. Since the last revision to the Indian national malaria treatment policy in 2013, guidelines on new treatment strategies have been published for the control/ elimination of malaria by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The most recent update was in March 2023 based on the new evidence available. India's success is the Region's success. Therefore, to meet the national as well as regional targets of elimination, the Indian National Programme needs to consider WHO guidelines, deliberate with stakeholders and experts so as to tailor and adapt to the local context, and update National policies to incorporate the relevant ones. Technical aspects of new WHO guidelines which need to be considered for updating India's treatment policy are discussed.
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Kumar A, Vadas O, Dos Santos Pacheco N, Zhang X, Chao K, Darvill N, Rasmussen HØ, Xu Y, Lin GMH, Stylianou FA, Pedersen JS, Rouse SL, Morgan ML, Soldati-Favre D, Matthews S. Structural and regulatory insights into the glideosome-associated connector from Toxoplasma gondii. eLife 2023; 12:e86049. [PMID: 37014051 PMCID: PMC10125020 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The phylum of Apicomplexa groups intracellular parasites that employ substrate-dependent gliding motility to invade host cells, egress from the infected cells, and cross biological barriers. The glideosome-associated connector (GAC) is a conserved protein essential to this process. GAC facilitates the association of actin filaments with surface transmembrane adhesins and the efficient transmission of the force generated by myosin translocation of actin to the cell surface substrate. Here, we present the crystal structure of Toxoplasma gondii GAC and reveal a unique, supercoiled armadillo repeat region that adopts a closed ring conformation. Characterisation of the solution properties together with membrane and F-actin binding interfaces suggests that GAC adopts several conformations from closed to open and extended. A multi-conformational model for assembly and regulation of GAC within the glideosome is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Oscar Vadas
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Nicolas Dos Santos Pacheco
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Xu Zhang
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Kin Chao
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Nicolas Darvill
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Helena Ø Rasmussen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Yingqi Xu
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Gloria Meng-Hsuan Lin
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | | | - Jan Skov Pedersen
- Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO) and Department of Chemistry, Aarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Sarah L Rouse
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Marc L Morgan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Dominique Soldati-Favre
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
| | - Stephen Matthews
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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Mbacham HF, Mosume DM, Apinjoh TO, Ntui VN, Moyeh MN, Kalaji LN, Wepnje GB, Ghogomu SM, Dionne JA, Tita AT, Achidi EA, Anchang-Kimbi JK. Sub-microscopic Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia, dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) resistance mutations to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, transmission intensity and risk of malaria infection in pregnancy in Mount Cameroon Region. Malar J 2023; 22:73. [PMID: 36864514 PMCID: PMC9979436 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04485-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium falciparum resistance to intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP) continues to spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the occurrence of microscopic and sub-microscopic P. falciparum parasitaemia, dihydropteroate synthase mutations associated with resistance to SP and maternal anaemia in the Mount Cameroon area. METHODS Consenting pregnant women living in semi-rural and semi-urban/urbanized settings were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Socio-demographic, antenatal and clinical data were documented. Microscopic and sub-microscopic parasitaemia were diagnosed using peripheral blood microscopy and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) respectively. The dhps mutations were genotyped by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The presence of A437G, K540E, and A581G was considered a marker for high-level resistance. Haemoglobin levels and anaemia status were determined. RESULTS Among the women, the prevalence of microscopic and sub-microscopic P. falciparum infection were 7.7% (67/874) and 18.6% (93/500) respectively. Predictors of microscopic infection were younger age (< 21 years) (AOR = 2.89; 95% CI 1.29-6.46) and semi-rural settings (AOR = 2.27; 95% CI 1.31-3.96). Determinants of sub-microscopic infection were the rainy season (AOR, 3.01; 95% CI 1.77-5.13), primigravidity (AOR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.21-0.94) and regular ITN usage (AOR = 0.49; 95% CI 0.27-0.90). Of the145 P. falciparum isolates genotyped, 66.9% (97) carried mutations associated with resistance to SP; 33.8% (49), 0%, 52.4% (76) and 19.3% (28) for A437G, K540E, A581G and A437G + A581G respectively. The A581G mutation was associated with ≥ 3 SP doses evident only among sub-microscopic parasitaemia (P = 0.027) and multigravidae (P = 0.009). Women with microscopic infection were more likely from semi-rural settings (AOR = 7.09; 95% CI 2.59-19.42), to report history of fever (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.07-6.31), to harbour parasites with double resistant mutations (AOR = 6.65; 95% CI 1.85-23.96) and were less likely to have received 2 SP doses (AOR = 0.29; 95% CI 1.07-6.31). Microscopic infection decreased Hb levels more than sub-microscopic infection. CONCLUSION The occurrence of sub-microscopic P. falciparum parasites resistant to SP and intense malaria transmission poses persistent risk of malaria infection during pregnancy in the area. ITN usage and monitoring spread of resistance are critical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry F. Mbacham
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Animal Biology and Conservation, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Diange M Mosume
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Animal Biology and Conservation, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Tobias O. Apinjoh
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Vincent N. Ntui
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Marcel N. Moyeh
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Laken N. Kalaji
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Animal Biology and Conservation, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Godlove B. Wepnje
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Animal Biology and Conservation, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Stephen M Ghogomu
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Jodie A Dionne
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Alan T.N. Tita
- grid.265892.20000000106344187Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Eric A. Achidi
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Judith K. Anchang-Kimbi
- grid.29273.3d0000 0001 2288 3199Department of Animal Biology and Conservation, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
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Ossè RA, Tokponnon F, Padonou GG, Glitho ME, Sidick A, Fassinou A, Koukpo CZ, Akinro B, Sovi A, Akogbéto M. Evidence of Transmission of Plasmodium vivax 210 and Plasmodium vivax 247 by Anopheles gambiae and An. coluzzii, Major Malaria Vectors in Benin/West Africa. Insects 2023; 14:231. [PMID: 36975916 PMCID: PMC10053026 DOI: 10.3390/insects14030231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Current diagnostic and surveillance systems in Benin are not designed to accurately identify or report non-Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) human malaria infections. This study aims to assess and compare the prevalence of circumsporozoite protein (CSP) antibodies of Pf and P. vivax (Pv) in Anopheles gambiae s.l. in Benin. For that, mosquito collections were performed through human landing catches (HLC) and pyrethrum spray catches (PSC). The collected mosquitoes were morphologically identified, and Pf, Pv 210, and Pv 247 CSP antibodies were sought in An. gambiae s.l. through the ELISA and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques. Of the 32,773 collected mosquitoes, 20.9% were An. gambiae s.l., 3.9% An. funestus gr., and 0.6% An. nili gr. In An. gambiae s.l., the sporozoite rate was 2.6% (95% CI: 2.1-3.1) for Pf, against 0.30% (95% CI: 0.1-0.5) and 0.2% (95% CI: 0.1-0.4), respectively, for Pv 210 and Pv 247. P. falciparum sporozoite positive mosquitoes were mostly An. gambiae (64.35%), followed by An. coluzzii (34.78%) and An. arabiensis (0.86%). At the opposite, for the Pv 210 sporozoite-positive mosquitoes, An. coluzzii and An. gambiae accounted for 76.92% and 23.08%, respectively. Overall, the present study shows that P. falciparum is not the only Plasmodium species involved in malaria cases in Benin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Razaki A. Ossè
- Ecole de Gestion et d’Exploitation des Systèmes d’Elevage, Université Nationale d’Agriculture, Kétou BP 44, Benin
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
| | - Filémon Tokponnon
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
- Ecole Polytechnique d’Abomey Calavi, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi 01 BP 526, Benin
| | - Germain Gil Padonou
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi 01 BP 526, Benin
| | - Mariette E. Glitho
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi 01 BP 526, Benin
| | - Aboubakar Sidick
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
| | - Arsène Fassinou
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi 01 BP 526, Benin
| | - Come Z. Koukpo
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi 01 BP 526, Benin
| | - Bruno Akinro
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
| | - Arthur Sovi
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
- Faculté d’Agronomie, Université de Parakou, Parakou BP 123, Benin
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
| | - Martin Akogbéto
- Centre de Recherche Entomologique de Cotonou, Ministère de la Santé, Cotonou 06 BP 2604, Benin
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Raghavan M, Kalantar KL, Duarte E, Teyssier N, Takahashi S, Kung AF, Rajan JV, Rek J, Tetteh KKA, Drakeley C, Ssewanyana I, Rodriguez-Barraquer I, Greenhouse B, DeRisi JL. Antibodies to repeat-containing antigens in Plasmodium falciparum are exposure-dependent and short-lived in children in natural malaria infections. eLife 2023; 12:e81401. [PMID: 36790168 PMCID: PMC10005774 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Protection against Plasmodium falciparum, which is primarily antibody-mediated, requires recurrent exposure to develop. The study of both naturally acquired limited immunity and vaccine induced protection against malaria remains critical for ongoing eradication efforts. Towards this goal, we deployed a customized P. falciparum PhIP-seq T7 phage display library containing 238,068 tiled 62-amino acid peptides, covering all known coding regions, including antigenic variants, to systematically profile antibody targets in 198 Ugandan children and adults from high and moderate transmission settings. Repeat elements - short amino acid sequences repeated within a protein - were significantly enriched in antibody targets. While breadth of responses to repeat-containing peptides was twofold higher in children living in the high versus moderate exposure setting, no such differences were observed for peptides without repeats, suggesting that antibody responses to repeat-containing regions may be more exposure dependent and/or less durable in children than responses to regions without repeats. Additionally, short motifs associated with seroreactivity were extensively shared among hundreds of antigens, potentially representing cross-reactive epitopes. PfEMP1 shared motifs with the greatest number of other antigens, partly driven by the diversity of PfEMP1 sequences. These data suggest that the large number of repeat elements and potential cross-reactive epitopes found within antigenic regions of P. falciparum could contribute to the inefficient nature of malaria immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhura Raghavan
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | | | - Elias Duarte
- University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Noam Teyssier
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Saki Takahashi
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Andrew F Kung
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Jayant V Rajan
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - John Rek
- Infectious Diseases Research CollaborationKampalaUganda
| | - Kevin KA Tetteh
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Chris Drakeley
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Isaac Ssewanyana
- Infectious Diseases Research CollaborationKampalaUganda
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Isabel Rodriguez-Barraquer
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Chan Zuckerberg BiohubSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Bryan Greenhouse
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Chan Zuckerberg BiohubSan FranciscoUnited States
| | - Joseph L DeRisi
- University of California, San FranciscoSan FranciscoUnited States
- Chan Zuckerberg BiohubSan FranciscoUnited States
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Nguiffo-Nguete D, Nongley Nkemngo F, Ndo C, Agbor JP, Boussougou-Sambe ST, Salako Djogbénou L, Ntoumi F, Adegnika AA, Borrmann S, Wondji CS. Plasmodium malariae contributes to high levels of malaria transmission in a forest-savannah transition area in Cameroon. Parasit Vectors 2023; 16:31. [PMID: 36698132 PMCID: PMC9875470 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05635-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria control efforts are highly skewed towards Plasmodium falciparum while overlooking other Plasmodium species such as P. malariae. A better understanding of the role of Plasmodium species other than P. falciparum is needed to strengthen malaria elimination initiatives. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the contribution of P. malariae to malaria transmission in Cameroon. METHODS The study was conducted in the Ngatti Health District, a forest-savannah transition area in the Adamawa Region, Cameroon. A total of 497 individuals aged from 1 to 85 years were diagnosed with malaria in November 2020 using a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and microscopy. Adult mosquitoes were collected between September 2019 and March 2020 by indoor aspiration and identified morphologically and molecularly. The infection status of Plasmodium spp. was also determined by quantitative PCR, and dried blood spots were collected from 156 participants with the aim to detect different Plasmodium species by nested PCR. RESULTS The overall Plasmodium prevalence was 50.3%, 51.8% and 64.7%, as detected by microscopy, the RDT and PCR, respectively. Based on the PCR results, P. falciparum was the most prevalent species (43%); followed by co-infections P. falciparum/P. malariae (17%), P. falciparum/P. ovale (1.3%), P. falciparum/P. ovale/P. malariae (1.3%); and then by P. malariae mono-infection (2.5%). The same trend was observed using microscopy, with 35% of participants infected with P. falciparum, 11% co-infected with P. falciparum/P. malariae and 4% infected with P. malariae. The prevalence and parasite density of malaria infection varied significantly with age group (P < 0.05), with the highest prevalence rate observed in children aged 6-10 years (P = 0.0001) while the density of Plasmodium infection increased significantly in children aged < 5 years compared to the other age groups (P = 10-3). Among the 757 Anopheles mosquitoes collected, 737 (97.35%) were An. funestus sensu stricto, 15 (1.9%) were An. gambiae and 5 (0.6%) were An. hancocki. The Plasmodium species recorded at the head/thorax level were P. falciparum and P. malariae, with a sporozoite infection rate of 8.4%; the highest sporozoite infection rate was recorded at Mibellon village (13.6%). CONCLUSION The results of this study reveal the significant contribution of P. malariae, in addition to P. falciparum, to the high malaria transmission rate in this region. These findings highlight the need to deploy initiatives to also tackle this Plasmodium species to eliminate malaria in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Francis Nongley Nkemngo
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Cyrille Ndo
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, P.O. Box 24157, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Jean-Pierre Agbor
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Stravensky T. Boussougou-Sambe
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Institut Für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Luc Salako Djogbénou
- Institut Régional de Santé Publique, Ouidah, Bénin
- University of Abomey-Calavi, Ouidah, Bénin
| | - Francine Ntoumi
- Fondation Congolaise Pour La Recherche Médicale, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Ayôla A. Adegnika
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Institut Für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
- Fondation Pour La Recherche Scientifique (FORS), Cotonou, Benin
- German Center for Infection Research, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Steffen Borrmann
- Centre de Recherches Médicales de Lambaréné, Lambaréné, Gabon
- Institut Für Tropenmedizin, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Charles S. Wondji
- Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
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Sharma S, Ahmed N, Faizi N, Bharti PK, Sharma A, Srivastava B. A case report of late treatment failure in Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a traveler from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to India. IDCases 2022; 31:e01653. [PMID: 36589765 PMCID: PMC9795509 DOI: 10.1016/j.idcr.2022.e01653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A young male returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to India after four months during his official work. Within a week of his arrival, he developed a high-grade fever with nausea and was hospitalized in a private hospital in New Delhi. He was diagnosed with malaria, treated with an artesunate injection as antimalarial, and discharged on day 5th from the hospital. A week later, he was diagnosed with malaria and dengue positive at ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi. Artesunate with sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine (AS+SP) was administered following India's malaria treatment policy. However, high-grade fever, along with the asexual stage of the P. falciparum parasite, was observed within 28 days of treatment with AS+SP, signifying late treatment failure (LTF). Further, the molecular analysis from both the days of episodes was analyzed using genomic DNA from dried blood spots, revealing resistance to sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine with mutations at codons pfdhfr 51I, pfdhfr 59 R, pfdhfr 108 N, pfdhps 437 A, pfdhps 581 G. No functional mutation associated was found in pfKelch13, but interestingly the sensitive codons to chloroquine (CQ) (wild type pfcrtK76 and pfmdrN86) revealed the probably reversible CQ sensitivity in the sample from DRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Supriya Sharma
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India
| | - Naseem Ahmed
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India
| | - Nafis Faizi
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India,Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, India
| | - Praveen K. Bharti
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, India
| | - Amit Sharma
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India,Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi, India,Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, India
| | - Bina Srivastava
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, Sector-8, Dwarka, New Delhi 110077, India,Corresponding author.
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Tadele G, Jaiteh FK, Oboh M, Oriero E, Dugassa S, Amambua-Ngwa A, Golassa L. Low genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 and 2 and multiplicity of infections in western Ethiopia following effective malaria interventions. Malar J 2022; 21:383. [PMID: 36522733 PMCID: PMC9753253 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04394-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic diversity of malaria parasites can inform the intensity of transmission and poses a major threat to malaria control and elimination interventions. Characterization of the genetic diversity would provide essential information about the ongoing control efforts. This study aimed to explore allelic polymorphism of merozoite surface protein 1 (msp1) and merozoite surface protein 2 (msp2) to determine the genetic diversity and multiplicity of Plasmodium falciparum infections circulating in high and low transmission sites in western Ethiopia. METHODS Parasite genomic DNA was extracted from a total of 225 dried blood spots collected from confirmed uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria-infected patients in western Ethiopia. Of these, 72.4% (163/225) and 27.6% (62/225) of the samples were collected in high and low transmission areas, respectively. Polymorphic msp1 and msp2 genes were used to explore the genetic diversity and multiplicity of falciparum malaria infections. Genotyping of msp1 was successful in 86.5% (141/163) and 88.7% (55/62) samples collected from high and low transmission areas, respectively. Genotyping of msp2 was carried out among 85.3% (139/163) and 96.8% (60/62) of the samples collected in high and low transmission sites, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum msp1 and msp2 genes were amplified by nested PCR and the PCR products were analysed by QIAxcel ScreenGel Software. A P-value of less or equal to 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS High prevalence of falciparum malaria was identified in children less than 15 years as compared with those ≥ 15 years old (AOR = 2.438, P = 0.005). The three allelic families of msp1 (K1, MAD20, and RO33) and the two allelic families of msp2 (FC27 and 3D7), were observed in samples collected in high and low transmission areas. However, MAD 20 and FC 27 alleles were the predominant allelic families in both settings. Plasmodium falciparum isolates circulating in western Ethiopia had low genetic diversity and mean MOI. No difference in mean MOI between high transmission sites (mean MOI 1.104) compared with low transmission area (mean MOI 1.08) (p > 0.05). The expected heterozygosity of msp1 was slightly higher in isolates collected from high transmission sites (He = 0.17) than in those isolates from low transmission (He = 0.12). However, the heterozygosity of msp2 was not different in both settings (Pfmsp2: 0.04 in high transmission; pfmsp2: 0.03 in low transmission). CONCLUSION Plasmodium falciparum from clinical malaria cases in western Ethiopia has low genetic diversity and multiplicity of infection irrespective of the intensity of transmission at the site of sampling. These may be signaling the effectiveness of malaria control strategies in Ethiopia; although further studies are required to determine how specific intervention strategies and other parameters that drive the pattern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geletta Tadele
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Fatou K Jaiteh
- Medical Research Council Unit the Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Serrekunda, The Gambia
| | - Mary Oboh
- Medical Research Council Unit the Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Serrekunda, The Gambia
| | - Eniyou Oriero
- Medical Research Council Unit the Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Serrekunda, The Gambia
| | - Sisay Dugassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Alfred Amambua-Ngwa
- Medical Research Council Unit the Gambia, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Serrekunda, The Gambia
| | - Lemu Golassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Habtamu K, Petros B, Yan G. Plasmodium vivax: the potential obstacles it presents to malaria elimination and eradication. Trop Dis Travel Med Vaccines 2022; 8:27. [PMID: 36522671 PMCID: PMC9753897 DOI: 10.1186/s40794-022-00185-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Initiatives to eradicate malaria have a good impact on P. falciparum malaria worldwide. P. vivax, however, still presents significant difficulties. This is due to its unique biological traits, which, in comparison to P. falciparum, pose serious challenges for malaria elimination approaches. P. vivax's numerous distinctive characteristics and its ability to live for weeks to years in liver cells in its hypnozoite form, which may elude the human immune system and blood-stage therapy and offer protection during mosquito-free seasons. Many malaria patients are not fully treated because of contraindications to primaquine use in pregnant and nursing women and are still vulnerable to P. vivax relapses, although there are medications that could radical cure P. vivax. Additionally, due to CYP2D6's highly variable genetic polymorphism, the pharmacokinetics of primaquine may be impacted. Due to their inability to metabolize PQ, some CYP2D6 polymorphism alleles can cause patients to not respond to treatment. Tafenoquine offers a radical treatment in a single dose that overcomes the potentially serious problem of poor adherence to daily primaquine. Despite this benefit, hemolysis of the early erythrocytes continues in individuals with G6PD deficiency until all susceptible cells have been eliminated. Field techniques such as microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) miss the large number of submicroscopic and/or asymptomatic infections brought on by reticulocyte tropism and the low parasitemia levels that accompany it. Moreover, P. vivax gametocytes grow more quickly and are much more prevalent in the bloodstream. P. vivax populations also have a great deal of genetic variation throughout their genome, which ensures evolutionary fitness and boosts adaptation potential. Furthermore, P. vivax fully develops in the mosquito faster than P. falciparum. These characteristics contribute to parasite reservoirs in the human population and facilitate faster transmission. Overall, no genuine chance of eradication is predicted in the next few years unless new tools for lowering malaria transmission are developed (i.e., malaria elimination and eradication). The challenging characteristics of P. vivax that impede the elimination and eradication of malaria are thus discussed in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kassahun Habtamu
- Department of Microbial, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Menelik II Medical & Health Science College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Beyene Petros
- Department of Microbial, Cellular & Molecular Biology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Guiyun Yan
- Program in Public Health, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697 USA
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Wilkinson MD, Ferreira JL, Beeby M, Baum J, Willison KR. The malaria parasite chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT) complex: Data integration with other CCT proteomes. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1057232. [PMID: 36567946 PMCID: PMC9772883 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1057232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The multi-subunit chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT) is an essential molecular chaperone that functions in the folding of key cellular proteins. This paper reviews the interactome of the eukaryotic chaperonin CCT and its primary clients, the ubiquitous cytoskeletal proteins, actin and tubulin. CCT interacts with other nascent proteins, especially the WD40 propeller proteins, and also assists in the assembly of several protein complexes. A new proteomic dataset is presented for CCT purified from the human malarial parasite, P. falciparum (PfCCT). The CCT8 subunit gene was C-terminally FLAG-tagged using Selection Linked Integration (SLI) and CCT complexes were extracted from infected human erythrocyte cultures synchronized for maximum expression levels of CCT at the trophozoite stage of the parasite's asexual life cycle. We analyze the new PfCCT proteome and incorporate it into our existing model of the CCT system, supported by accumulated data from biochemical and cell biological experiments in many eukaryotic species. Together with measurements of CCT mRNA, CCT protein subunit copy number and the post-translational and chemical modifications of the CCT subunits themselves, a cumulative picture is emerging of an essential molecular chaperone system sitting at the heart of eukaryotic cell growth control and cell cycle regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Wilkinson
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Josie L. Ferreira
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Morgan Beeby
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jake Baum
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom,School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Keith R. Willison
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Keith R. Willison,
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