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Salazar YEAR, Louzada J, Puça MCSDB, Guimarães LFF, Vieira JLF, de Siqueira AM, Gil JP, de Brito CFA, de Sousa TN. Delayed gametocyte clearance in Plasmodium vivax malaria is associated with polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR). Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2024; 68:e0120423. [PMID: 38411047 PMCID: PMC10989009 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01204-23] [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: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Primaquine (PQ) is the main drug used to eliminate dormant liver stages and prevent relapses in Plasmodium vivax malaria. It also has an effect on the gametocytes of Plasmodium falciparum; however, it is unclear to what extent PQ affects P. vivax gametocytes. PQ metabolism involves multiple enzymes, including the highly polymorphic CYP2D6 and the cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR). Since genetic variability can impact drug metabolism, we conducted an evaluation of the effect of CYP2D6 and CPR variants on PQ gametocytocidal activity in 100 subjects with P. vivax malaria. To determine gametocyte density, we measured the levels of pvs25 transcripts in samples taken before treatment (D0) and 72 hours after treatment (D3). Generalized estimating equations (GEEs) were used to examine the effects of enzyme variants on gametocyte densities, adjusting for potential confounding factors. Linear regression models were adjusted to explore the predictors of PQ blood levels measured on D3. Individuals with the CPR mutation showed a smaller decrease in gametocyte transcript levels on D3 compared to those without the mutation (P = 0.02, by GEE). Consistent with this, higher PQ blood levels on D3 were associated with a lower reduction in pvs25 transcripts. Based on our findings, the CPR variant plays a role in the persistence of gametocyte density in P. vivax malaria. Conceptually, our work points to pharmacogenetics as a non-negligible factor to define potential host reservoirs with the propensity to contribute to transmission in the first days of CQ-PQ treatment, particularly in settings and seasons of high Anopheles human-biting rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanka Evellyn Alves Rodrigues Salazar
- Molecular Biology and Malaria Immunology Research Group, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jaime Louzada
- Universidade Federal de Roraima, Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil
| | - Maria Carolina Silva de Barros Puça
- Molecular Biology and Malaria Immunology Research Group, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Luiz Felipe Ferreira Guimarães
- Molecular Biology and Malaria Immunology Research Group, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - André Machado de Siqueira
- Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - José Pedro Gil
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Cristiana Ferreira Alves de Brito
- Molecular Biology and Malaria Immunology Research Group, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Tais Nobrega de Sousa
- Molecular Biology and Malaria Immunology Research Group, Instituto René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell biology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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Pickering PA, Harris I, Smith D, McCallum F, Kaminiel P, Auliff A, Cheng Q. Burden of Submicroscopic Plasmodium Infections and Detection of kelch13 Mutant Parasites in Military and Civilian Populations in Papua New Guinea. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2024; 110:639-647. [PMID: 38377613 PMCID: PMC10993850 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a major public health problem in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and an important force health protection issue for both PNG and Australian Defence Forces. To investigate the malaria burden in the military and civilians residing on military bases, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in April 2019 at three military bases in Wewak, Manus Island, and Vanimo, PNG. A total of 1,041 participants were enrolled; 235 military personnel from three bases and 806 civilians from Wewak and Vanimo. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed an overall high prevalence of Plasmodium infection in both the military and civilians. Among the military, the infection prevalence was significantly higher in Wewak (35.5%) and Vanimo (33.3%) bases than on Manus Island (11.8%). Among civilians, children (<16 years old) had significantly higher odds of being PCR positive than adults (≥16 years old). At Wewak and Vanimo, Plasmodium vivax accounted for 85.4%, 78.2%, and 66.2% of infections in military, children, and adult populations. Overall, 87.3%, 41.3%, and 61.3% of Plasmodium infections in the military, children, and adults, respectively, were detected only by PCR, not by microscopy (submicroscopic [SM] infections). Children had a significantly lower proportion of SM infections than adults and Papua New Guinea Defence Force personnel. Infection status was not associated with hemoglobin levels in these populations at the time of the survey. Mutant kelch13 (C580Y) parasites were identified in 5/68 Plasmodium falciparum-infected individuals. The survey results indicate extensive malaria transmission on these bases, especially in Wewak and Vanimo. More intensified interventions are required to reduce malaria transmission on PNG military bases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A. Pickering
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Ivor Harris
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - David Smith
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Fiona McCallum
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Peter Kaminiel
- Papua New Guinea Defence Force Health Service, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
| | - Alyson Auliff
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Qin Cheng
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
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Bradley L, Yewhalaw D, Hemming-Schroeder E, Jeang B, Lee MC, Zemene E, Degefa T, Lo E, King C, Kazura J, Yan G. Epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax in Duffy negatives and Duffy positives from community and health centre collections in Ethiopia. Malar J 2024; 23:76. [PMID: 38486245 PMCID: PMC10941426 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04895-1] [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: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia with an estimated 3.8 million cases in 2021 and 61% of the population living in areas at risk of malaria transmission. Throughout the country Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum are co-endemic, and Duffy expression is highly heterogeneous. The public health significance of Duffy negativity in relation to P. vivax malaria in Ethiopia, however, remains unclear. This study seeks to explore the prevalence and rates of P. vivax malaria infection across Duffy phenotypes in clinical and community settings. METHODS A total of 9580 and 4667 subjects from community and health facilities from a malaria endemic site and an epidemic-prone site in western Ethiopia were enrolled and examined for P. vivax infection and Duffy expression from February 2018 to April 2021. Association between Duffy expression, P. vivax and P. falciparum infections were examined for samples collected from asymptomatic community volunteers and symptomatic subjects from health centres. RESULTS Infection rate of P. vivax among Duffy positives was 2-22 fold higher than Duffy negatives in asymptomatic volunteers from the community. Parasite positivity rate was 10-50 fold higher in Duffy positives than Duffy negatives among samples collected from febrile patients attending health centres and mixed P. vivax and P. falciparum infections were significantly more common than P. vivax mono infections among Duffy negative individuals. Plasmodium vivax parasitaemia measured by 18sRNA parasite gene copy number was similar between Duffy positives and Duffy negatives. CONCLUSIONS Duffy negativity does not offer complete protection against infection by P. vivax, and cases of P. vivax in Duffy negatives are widespread in Ethiopia, being found in asymptomatic volunteers from communities and in febrile patients from health centres. These findings offer evidence for consideration when developing control and intervention strategies in areas of endemic P. vivax and Duffy heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Bradley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Pathology, College of Health Sciences, Jimma University, 5195, Jimma, Ethiopia
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Elizabeth Hemming-Schroeder
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Brook Jeang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Ming-Chieh Lee
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Endalew Zemene
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Teshome Degefa
- School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Eugenia Lo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Christopher King
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - James Kazura
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Guiyun Yan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.
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Kuesap J, Suphakhonchuwong N, Rungsihirunrat K. Genetic polymorphisms of Plasmodium vivax ookinete (sexual stage) surface proteins (Pvs25 and Pvs28) from Thailand. Infect Genet Evol 2024; 118:105558. [PMID: 38244749 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105558] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is the most geographically widespread malaria parasite in human presently. The ookinete surface proteins of sexual stage of malaria parasites, Pvs25 and Pvs28, are candidates for the transmission blocking vaccine. The antigenic variation in population might be barrier for vaccine development. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of Pvs25 and Pvs28 in endemic areas of Thailand. P. vivax clinical isolates collected from Thai-neighboring border areas were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing method. Three and 14 amino acid substitutions were observed in 43 Pvs25 and 48 Pvs28 sequences, respectively. Three haplotypes in Pvs25 and 14 haplotypes with 5-7 GSGGE/D tandem repeats in Pvs28 were identified. The nucleotide diversity of pvs25 (π = 0.00059) had lower level than pvs28 (π = 0.00517). Tajima's D value for both pvs25 and pvs28 genes were negative while no significant difference was found (P > 0.10). Low genetic diversity was found in pvs25 and pvs28 genes in Thailand. The finding of the most frequent amino acid substitutions was consistent with global isolates. Therefore, the data could be helpful in developing of effective transmission blocking vaccine in malaria endemic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiraporn Kuesap
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand.
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Lai MY, Ponnampalavanar SSLS, Omar SFS, Lau YL. A visualized hybrid PCR-LAMP assay for the detection of human Plasmodium species. Acta Trop 2024; 251:107120. [PMID: 38199452 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107120] [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: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/07/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Combining the advantages of PCR and LAMP, we described a new technique, namely PCR-LAMP, for malaria diagnosis. The whole process of DNA amplification can be completed in 35 min. This hybrid amplification technique markedly improved the sensitivity of detection compared to the classic single PCR or LAMP assay alone. PCR-LAMP assay had a detection limit of 1 copy/µL for P. knowlesi and P. ovale, 0.1 copy/µL for P. vivax, P. falciparum and P. malariae, respectively. To facilitate the endpoint detection, xylenol orange was added. Positive samples were indicated in orange while negative reactions were violet. The inclusion of xylenol orange into the LAMP reaction mix significantly reduces the post-amplification workload. Without relying on the use of specific instruments, the color changes of the amplicons could be visualized directly through the naked eye. In conclusion, PCR-LAMP poses the potential to be developed as a new malaria molecular diagnosis tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Yee Lai
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Yee Ling Lau
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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Plata-Pineda SE, Cárdenas-Munévar LX, Castro-Cavadía CJ, Buitrago SP, Garzón-Ospina D. Evaluating the genetic diversity of the Plasmodium vivax siap2 locus: A promising candidate for an effective malaria vaccine? Acta Trop 2024; 251:107111. [PMID: 38151069 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107111] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is the deadliest parasitic disease in the world. Traditional control measures have become less effective; hence, there is a need to explore alternative strategies, such as antimalarial vaccines. However, designing an anti-Plasmodium vivax vaccine is considered a challenge due to the complex parasite biology and the antigens' high genetic diversity. Recently, the sporozoite invasion-associated protein 2 (SIAP2) has been suggested as a potential antigen to be considered in vaccine design due to its significance during hepatocyte invasion. However, its use may be limited by the incomplete understanding of gene/protein diversity. Here, the genetic diversity of pvsiap2 using P. vivax DNA samples from Colombia was assessed. Through PCR amplification and sequencing, we compared the Colombian sequences with available worldwide sequences, revealing that pvsiap2 displays low genetic diversity. Molecular evolutionary analyses showed that pvsiap2 appears to be influenced by directional selection. Moreover, the haplotypes found differ by a few mutational steps and several of them were shared between different geographical areas. On the other hand, several conserved regions within PvSIAP2 were predicted as potential B-cell or T-cell epitopes. Considering these characteristics and its role in hepatocyte invasion, the PvSIAP2 protein emerges as a promising antigen to be considered in a multi-antigen-multi-stage (multivalent) fully effective vaccine against P. vivax malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio E Plata-Pineda
- School of Biological Sciences, Grupo de Estudios en Genética y Biología Molecular (GEBIMOL), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia - UPTC, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia
| | - Laura X Cárdenas-Munévar
- School of Biological Sciences, Grupo de Estudios en Genética y Biología Molecular (GEBIMOL), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia - UPTC, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia
| | - Carlos J Castro-Cavadía
- Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas y Biomédicas de Córdoba (GIMBIC), School of Health Sciences, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Córdoba, Colombia
| | - Sindy P Buitrago
- School of Biological Sciences, Grupo de Estudios en Genética y Biología Molecular (GEBIMOL), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia - UPTC, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia; Population Genetics And Molecular Evolution (PGAME), Fundación Scient, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia
| | - Diego Garzón-Ospina
- School of Biological Sciences, Grupo de Estudios en Genética y Biología Molecular (GEBIMOL), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia - UPTC, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia; Population Genetics And Molecular Evolution (PGAME), Fundación Scient, Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia.
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Sy Thau N, Nguyen TK, Truong NV, Chu TTH, Na SH, Moon RW, Lau YL, Nyunt MH, Park WS, Chun WJ, Lu F, Lee SK, Han JH, Han ET. Characterization of merozoite-specific thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (MTRAP) in Plasmodium vivax and P. knowlesi parasites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1354880. [PMID: 38465236 PMCID: PMC10920329 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1354880] [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: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax, the most widespread human malaria parasite, and P. knowlesi, an emerging Plasmodium that infects humans, are the phylogenetically closest malarial species that infect humans, which may induce cross-species reactivity across most co-endemic areas in Southeast Asia. The thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) family is indispensable for motility and host cell invasion in the growth and development of Plasmodium parasites. The merozoite-specific TRAP (MTRAP), expressed in blood-stage merozoites, is supposed to be essential for human erythrocyte invasion. We aimed to characterize MTRAPs in blood-stage P. vivax and P. knowlesi parasites and ascertain their cross-species immunoreactivity. Recombinant P. vivax and P. knowlesi MTRAPs of full-length ectodomains were expressed in a mammalian expression system. The MTRAP-specific immunoglobulin G, obtained from immune animals, was used in an immunofluorescence assay for subcellular localization and invasion inhibitory activity in blood-stage parasites was determined. The cross-species humoral immune responses were analyzed in the sera of patients with P. vivax or P. knowlesi infections. The MTRAPs of P. vivax (PvMTRAP) and P. knowlesi (PkMTRAP) were localized on the rhoptry body of merozoites in blood-stage parasites. Both anti-PvMTRAP and anti-PkMTRAP antibodies inhibited erythrocyte invasion of blood-stage P. knowlesi parasites. The humoral immune response to PvMTRAP showed high immunogenicity, longevity, and cross-species immunoreactivity with P. knowlesi. MTRAPs are promising candidates for development of vaccines and therapeutics against vivax and knowlesi malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Sy Thau
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Tuyet-Kha Nguyen
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Nguyen Van Truong
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Thi-Thanh Hang Chu
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Hun Na
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-d, Republic of Korea
| | - Robert W. Moon
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yee Ling Lau
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Won-Sun Park
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Wan-Joo Chun
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Feng Lu
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China
| | - Seong-Kyun Lee
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin-Hee Han
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun-Taek Han
- Department of Medical Environmental Biology and Tropical Medicine, Kangwon National University School of Medicine, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea
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Dembélé P, Cissoko M, Diarra AZ, Doumbia L, Koné A, Magassa MH, Mehadji M, Thera MA, Ranque S. Evaluation of the Performance of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Malaria Diagnosis and Mapping of Different Plasmodium Species in Mali. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024; 21:228. [PMID: 38397717 PMCID: PMC10888130 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21020228] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The first-line diagnosis of malaria in Mali is based on the use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) that detect the Histidin Rich Protein 2 (HRP2) antigen specific to Plasmodium falciparum. Our study, based on a real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) gold standard, aimed to describe the distribution of the Plasmodium species in each administrative region of Mali and to assess the performance of RDTs. METHODS We randomly selected 150 malaria-negative and up to 30 malaria-positive RDTs in 41 sites distributed in 9 regions of Mali. DNA extracted from the RDT nitrocellulose strip was assayed with a pan-Plasmodium qPCR. Positive samples were then analyzed with P. falciparum-, P. malariae-, P. vivax-, or P. ovale-specific qPCRs. RESULTS Of the 1496 RDTs, 258 (18.6%) were positive for Plasmodium spp., of which 96.9% were P. falciparum. The P. vivax prevalence reached 21.1% in the north. RDT displayed acceptable diagnostic indices; the lower CI95% bounds of Youden indices were all ≥0.50, except in the north (Youden index 0.66 (95% CI [0.44-0.82]) and 0.63 (95% CI [0.33-0.83]. CONCLUSIONS Overall, RDT diagnostic indices are adequate for the biological diagnosis of malaria in Mali. We recommend the use of RDTs detecting P. vivax-specific antigens in the north.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Dembélé
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, 13005 Marseille, France
- Programme National de Lutte Contre le Paludisme (PNLP), Bamako BP 233, Mali; (M.C.); (M.H.M.)
| | - Mady Cissoko
- Programme National de Lutte Contre le Paludisme (PNLP), Bamako BP 233, Mali; (M.C.); (M.H.M.)
- Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), FMOS-FAPH, Mali-NIAID-ICER, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Bamako BP 1805, Mali;
| | - Adama Zan Diarra
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Lassana Doumbia
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée (LBMA), Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Badalabougou, Bamako BP 423, Mali;
| | - Aïssata Koné
- Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Appliquée (LBMA), Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Badalabougou, Bamako BP 423, Mali;
| | - Mahamadou H. Magassa
- Programme National de Lutte Contre le Paludisme (PNLP), Bamako BP 233, Mali; (M.C.); (M.H.M.)
| | - Maissane Mehadji
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
- Aix-Marseille University, IRD, AP-HM, SSA, VITROME, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Mahamadou A. Thera
- Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), FMOS-FAPH, Mali-NIAID-ICER, Université des Sciences, des Techniques et des Technologies de Bamako, Bamako BP 1805, Mali;
| | - Stéphane Ranque
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection (IHU), Aix Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France; (P.D.); (A.Z.D.); (L.D.); (M.M.)
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Cepeda AS, Mello B, Pacheco MA, Luo Z, Sullivan SA, Carlton JM, Escalante AA. The Genome of Plasmodium gonderi: Insights into the Evolution of Human Malaria Parasites. Genome Biol Evol 2024; 16:evae027. [PMID: 38376987 PMCID: PMC10901558 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evae027] [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: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium species causing malaria in humans are not monophyletic, sharing common ancestors with nonhuman primate parasites. Plasmodium gonderi is one of the few known Plasmodium species infecting African old-world monkeys that are not found in apes. This study reports a de novo assembled P. gonderi genome with complete chromosomes. The P. gonderi genome shares codon usage, syntenic blocks, and other characteristics with the human parasites Plasmodium ovale s.l. and Plasmodium malariae, also of African origin, and the human parasite Plasmodium vivax and species found in nonhuman primates from Southeast Asia. Using phylogenetically aware methods, newly identified syntenic blocks were found enriched with conserved metabolic genes. Regions outside those blocks harbored genes encoding proteins involved in the vertebrate host-Plasmodium relationship undergoing faster evolution. Such genome architecture may have facilitated colonizing vertebrate hosts. Phylogenomic analyses estimated the common ancestor between P. vivax and an African ape parasite P. vivax-like, within the Asian nonhuman primates parasites clade. Time estimates incorporating P. gonderi placed the P. vivax and P. vivax-like common ancestor in the late Pleistocene, a time of active migration of hominids between Africa and Asia. Thus, phylogenomic and time-tree analyses are consistent with an Asian origin for P. vivax and an introduction of P. vivax-like into Africa. Unlike other studies, time estimates for the clade with Plasmodium falciparum, the most lethal human malaria parasite, coincide with their host species radiation, African hominids. Overall, the newly assembled genome presented here has the quality to support comparative genomic investigations in Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axl S Cepeda
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
| | - Beatriz Mello
- Departamento de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - M Andreína Pacheco
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
| | - Zunping Luo
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Steven A Sullivan
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Jane M Carlton
- Center for Genomics & Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - Ananias A Escalante
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122-1801, USA
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10
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Gartner V, Redelings BD, Gaither C, Parr JB, Kalonji A, Phanzu F, Brazeau NF, Juliano JJ, Wray GA. Genomic insights into Plasmodium vivax population structure and diversity in central Africa. Malar J 2024; 23:27. [PMID: 38238806 PMCID: PMC10797969 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-024-04852-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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Though Plasmodium vivax is the second most common malaria species to infect humans, it has not traditionally been considered a major human health concern in central Africa given the high prevalence of the human Duffy-negative phenotype that is believed to prevent infection. Increasing reports of asymptomatic and symptomatic infections in Duffy-negative individuals throughout Africa raise the possibility that P. vivax is evolving to evade host resistance, but there are few parasite samples with genomic data available from this part of the world. METHODS Whole genome sequencing of one new P. vivax isolate from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was performed and used in population genomics analyses to assess how this central African isolate fits into the global context of this species. RESULTS Plasmodium vivax from DRC is similar to other African populations and is not closely related to the non-human primate parasite P. vivax-like. Evidence is found for a duplication of the gene PvDBP and a single copy of PvDBP2. CONCLUSION These results suggest an endemic P. vivax population is present in central Africa. Intentional sampling of P. vivax across Africa would further contextualize this sample within African P. vivax diversity and shed light on the mechanisms of infection in Duffy negative individuals. These results are limited by the uncertainty of how representative this single sample is of the larger population of P. vivax in central Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Gartner
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Benjamin D Redelings
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
- Ronin Institute, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
| | | | | | - Albert Kalonji
- SANRU Asbl, 149 A/B, Boulevard du 30 Juin, Kinshasa, Gombe, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Fernandine Phanzu
- SANRU Asbl, 149 A/B, Boulevard du 30 Juin, Kinshasa, Gombe, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | | | | | - Gregory A Wray
- Biology Department, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
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11
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Guled BA, Na-Bangchang K, Chaijaroenkul W. Exploring genetic polymorphisms among Plasmodium vivax isolates from the Thai-Myanmar borders using circumsporozoite protein (pvcsp) and ookinete surface protein (pvs25) encoding genes. Parasitol Res 2024; 123:91. [PMID: 38200222 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-08104-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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax malaria cases remain high along the Thai-Myanmar and Thai-Cambodia borders. Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein (pvcsp) and Plasmodium vivax ookinete surface protein (pvs25) genes are promising molecular markers of the genetic diversity of P. vivax. This study investigated the genetic diversity of pvcsp and pvs25 in P. vivax isolates collected from the Thai-Myanmar border. The DNA samples were amplified, and the genotypes were analyzed by PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing. Pvcsp genotypes, VK210, VK247, and mixed types, were found in 203 (91.9%), 15 (6.8%), and 3 (1.3%) of the isolates, respectively. Twenty-four allelic variants were observed, of which a high prevalence of VK210E and VK247E were reported. Two pvcsp variants, VK210C and VK210M showed significantly higher parasite density (46,234 (1154-144,000) vs. 25,606 (1373-68,878), respectively). The genetic diversity of pvcsp along the Thai-Myanmar border during 2002-2015 showed dynamic changes with both positive and negative selection. The frequency and distribution of pvcsp pattern might be changed over time and might be other factors contributing to gene selection. Three amino acid substitutions of pvs25, i.e., E97Q, I130T, and Q131K, were investigated with frequencies of 10 (4.5%), 221 (100%), and 204 (92.3%) isolates, respectively. There was no association between parasite density and pvs25 polymorphisms. The frequency of pvs25 polymorphism was similar to that previously reported, with the absence of random mutation. In conclusion, the genetic variation of pvcsp was changed over times whereas the genetic diversity of pvs25 was limited; these variations would be helpful for further vaccine development against P. vivax malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bashir Abdirahman Guled
- Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Klong Luang, 12120, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Kesara Na-Bangchang
- Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Klong Luang, 12120, Pathum Thani, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology of Malaria and Cholangiocarcinoma, Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Paholyothin Road, Klong Luang, 12120, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Wanna Chaijaroenkul
- Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Klong Luang, 12120, Pathum Thani, Thailand.
- Center of Excellence in Pharmacology and Molecular Biology of Malaria and Cholangiocarcinoma, Chulabhorn International College of Medicine, Thammasat University, Paholyothin Road, Klong Luang, 12120, Pathum Thani, Thailand.
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12
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Xiang Z, Zhou L, Pan M, Qin Y, Bai Y, Qin P, Zeng W, Wei X, Lu Y, Somboonwit C, Menezes L, Huang Y, Cui L, Yang Z. An imported malaria case with repeated episodes of neurological syndromes resulting from different Plasmodium species. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:41. [PMID: 38172708 PMCID: PMC10763073 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08872-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: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Imported cerebral malaria (CM) cases in non-endemic areas are often misdiagnosed, which delays treatment. Post-malaria neurological syndrome (PMNS) after recovery from severe malaria can also complicate diagnosis. CASE We report an imported malaria case from West Africa with two sequential episodes with neurological syndromes within about a month. The first episode was diagnosed as CM with microscopy-positive Plasmodium falciparum infection. The second episode, occurring a month after the recovery from the first CM episode, was consistent with PMNS, since malaria parasites were not detected by microscopy in peripheral blood smears. However, this diagnosis was complicated by the detection of Plasmodium vivax in peripheral blood by PCR, suggesting a potential cause of the second episode by P. vivax. CONCLUSION This study suggests that PMNS often occurs after severe falciparum malaria. Concurrent P. vivax infection with pathogenic biomass being predominantly extravascular further complicates accurate diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Xiang
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
| | - Longcan Zhou
- Shanglin County People's Hospital, Shanglin, Guangxi, China
| | - Maohua Pan
- Shanglin County People's Hospital, Shanglin, Guangxi, China
| | - Yucheng Qin
- Shanglin County People's Hospital, Shanglin, Guangxi, China
| | - Yao Bai
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Pien Qin
- Shanglin County People's Hospital, Shanglin, Guangxi, China
| | - Weilin Zeng
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Xiaosheng Wei
- Shanglin County People's Hospital, Shanglin, Guangxi, China
| | - Yuxin Lu
- Shanglin County People's Hospital, Shanglin, Guangxi, China
| | - Charurut Somboonwit
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 304, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Lynette Menezes
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 304, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA
| | - Yaming Huang
- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanning, Guangxi, China.
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 3720 Spectrum Boulevard, Suite 304, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
| | - Zhaoqing Yang
- Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China.
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Kepple D, Ford CT, Williams J, Abagero B, Li S, Popovici J, Yewhalaw D, Lo E. Comparative transcriptomics reveal differential gene expression among Plasmodium vivax geographical isolates and implications on erythrocyte invasion mechanisms. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2024; 18:e0011926. [PMID: 38285730 PMCID: PMC10901308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The documentation of Plasmodium vivax malaria across Africa especially in regions where Duffy negatives are dominant suggests possibly alternative erythrocyte invasion mechanisms. While the transcriptomes of the Southeast Asian and South American P. vivax are well documented, the gene expression profile of P. vivax in Africa is unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of 4,404 gene transcripts belong to 12 functional groups and 43 erythrocyte binding gene candidates in Ethiopian isolates and compared them with the Cambodian and Brazilian P. vivax transcriptomes. Overall, there were 10-26% differences in the gene expression profile amongst geographical isolates, with the Ethiopian and Cambodian P. vivax being most similar. Majority of the gene transcripts involved in protein transportation, housekeeping, and host interaction were highly transcribed in the Ethiopian isolates. Members of the reticulocyte binding protein PvRBP2a and PvRBP3 expressed six-fold higher than Duffy binding protein PvDBP1 and 60-fold higher than PvEBP/DBP2 in the Ethiopian isolates. Other genes including PvMSP3.8, PvMSP3.9, PvTRAG2, PvTRAG14, and PvTRAG22 also showed relatively high expression. Differential expression patterns were observed among geographical isolates, e.g., PvDBP1 and PvEBP/DBP2 were highly expressed in the Cambodian but not the Brazilian and Ethiopian isolates, whereas PvRBP2a and PvRBP2b showed higher expression in the Ethiopian and Cambodian than the Brazilian isolates. Compared to Pvs25, gametocyte genes including PvAP2-G, PvGAP (female gametocytes), and Pvs47 (male gametocytes) were highly expressed across geographical samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Kepple
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Colby T. Ford
- Bioinformatics and Genomics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
- School of Data Science, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Williams
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Beka Abagero
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Shaoyu Li
- Mathematics and Statistics, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jean Popovici
- Malaria Research Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
- School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Eugenia Lo
- Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
- Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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14
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Stanley P, Rajkumari N, Sivaradjy M. Molecular detection of antimalarial resistance in Plasmodium vivax isolates from a tertiary care setting in Puducherry. Indian J Med Microbiol 2024; 47:100496. [PMID: 37949233 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmmb.2023.100496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The study was aimed at detecting the mutation patterns in the drug targets in Plasmodium vivax that confer resistance to the common antimalarial agents used in India. METHODS A total of 27 Plasmodium vivax isolates collected from whole blood samples over a three year period were subjected to PCR amplification followed by sequencing of the genes pvmdr1, pvdhfr, pvdhps and pvk12, which serve as the molecular targets to detect resistance to chloroquine, pyrimethamine, sulfadoxine and artemisinin respectively. RESULTS The study found T958 M F1076L double mutants of pvmdr1 in 52 %(14/27) isolates, S58R S117 N double mutants of pvdhfr in 67 % (18/27) isolates, A383G A553G double mutant pvdhps in 59 % (16/27) isolates and wild type of pvk12 gene in all the isolates. CONCLUSIONS There was a rise in the proportion of double mutants of pvmdr1 and pvdhfr over time. Those cases with double mutant pvmdr1 gene in their isolates were found to have a prolonged hospital stay compared to those without, indicating reduced clinical response to chloroquine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pheba Stanley
- Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Dhanvantri Nagar, Puducherry, 605006, India.
| | - Nonika Rajkumari
- Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Dhanvantri Nagar, Puducherry, 605006, India.
| | - Monika Sivaradjy
- Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Dhanvantri Nagar, Puducherry, 605006, India; Department of Microbiology, ESIC Medical College& PGIMSR, Chennai, 78, India.
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15
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Dowd S, Chen N, Gatton ML, Edstein MD, Cheng Q. Cytochrome P450 2D6 profiles and anti-relapse efficacy of tafenoquine against Plasmodium vivax in Australian Defence Force personnel. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0101423. [PMID: 37971260 PMCID: PMC10720419 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01014-23] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax infections and relapses remain a major health problem for malaria-endemic countries, deployed military personnel, and travelers. Presumptive anti-relapse therapy and radical cure using the 8-aminoquinoline drugs primaquine and tafenoquine are necessary to prevent relapses. Although it has been demonstrated that the efficacy of primaquine is associated with Cytochrome P450 2D6 (CYP2D6) activity, there is insufficient data on the role of CYP2D6 in the anti-relapse efficacy of tafenoquine. We investigated the relationship between CYP2D6 activity status and tafenoquine efficacy in preventing P. vivax relapses retrospectively using plasma samples collected from Australian Defence Force personnel deployed to Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste who participated in clinical trials of tafenoquine during 1999-2001. The CYP2D6 gene was amplified from plasma samples and fully sequenced from 92 participant samples, comprised of relapse (n = 31) and non-relapse (n = 61) samples, revealing 14 different alleles. CYP2D6 phenotypes deduced from combinations of CYP2D6 alleles predicted that among 92 participants 67, 15, and 10 were normal, intermediate, and poor metabolizers, respectively. The deduced CYP2D6 phenotype did not correlate with the corresponding participant's plasma tafenoquine concentrations that were determined in the early 2000s by high-performance liquid chromatography or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the deduced CYP2D6 phenotype did not associate with P. vivax relapse outcomes. Our results indicate that CYP2D6 does not affect plasma tafenoquine concentrations and the efficacy of tafenoquine in preventing P. vivax relapses in the assessed Australian Defence Force personnel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Dowd
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nanhua Chen
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Michelle L. Gatton
- Centre for Immunology and Infection Control, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Michael D. Edstein
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Qin Cheng
- Australian Defence Force Malaria and Infectious Disease Institute, Brisbane, Australia
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16
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Srisutham S, Rattanakoch P, Kijprasong K, Sugaram R, Kantaratanakul N, Srinulgray T, Dondorp AM, Imwong M. A novel sensitive hexaplex high-resolution melt assay for identification of five human Plasmodium species plus internal control. Acta Trop 2023; 248:107020. [PMID: 37739253 PMCID: PMC10641754 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.107020] [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: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The diagnosis of malaria infection in humans remains challenging, further complicated by mixed Plasmodium species infections, potentially altering disease severity and morbidity. To facilitate appropriate control measures and treatment, rapid, sensitive, and specific detection assays, including those for the second minor species, would be required. This study aimed to develop a multiplex high-resolution melting (hexaplex PCR-HRM) assay with seven distinct peaks corresponding to five Plasmodium species of the Plasmodium genus, and an internal control to limit false negatives providing quality assurance testing results. METHODS Five species-specific primers for human malaria species were designed targeting on the Plasmodium 18 small subunit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) and mitochondrial genes. The hexaplex PCR-HRM was developed for the simultaneous and rapid detection and differentiation of five human Plasmodium spp. The limit of detection (LoD), sensitivity, and specificity of the assay were evaluated. Artificial mixing was used to assess the ability to determine the second minor species. Furthermore, a hexaplex PCR-HRM assay was used to identify 120 Plasmodium-infected clinical isolates from Kanchanaburi, Western Thailand, where malaria is endemic. RESULTS The hexaplex PCR-HRM assay detected the targeted genome of five Plasmodium species at levels as low as 2.354-3.316 copies/uL with 91.76 % sensitivity and 98.04 % specificity. In artificial mixing, the assay could detect minority parasite species at 0.001 % of the predominant parasite population. Plasmodium vivax infections (99 %) accounted for the majority of malaria cases in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. CONCLUSIONS The developed hexaplex PCR-HRM assay we present in this study is a novel approach for multiplexing the Plasmodium genus and detecting five Plasmodium species with the advantage of detecting second minority parasite species. The developed one-step assay without any nesting protocols would reduce the risks of cross-contamination. Moreover, it also provides a simple, sensitive, specific, and low-cost approach for optional molecular detection of malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suttipat Srisutham
- Department of Clinical Microscopy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
| | - Paweesuda Rattanakoch
- Department of Clinical Microscopy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Rungniran Sugaram
- Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand
| | | | | | - Arjen M Dondorp
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, Northern Ireland UK
| | - Mallika Imwong
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Suphakhonchuwong N, Rungsihirunrat K, Kuesap J. Surveillance of drug resistance molecular markers in Plasmodium vivax before and after introduction of dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine in Thailand: 2009-2019. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:2871-2883. [PMID: 37725258 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07977-2] [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: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Resistance to antimalarial drugs is a serious issue around the world. Widespread Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum coinfections are commonly found in Thailand. Dihydroartemisinin and piperaquine (DHA-PPQ) have been used as first-line treatments for P. falciparum since 2015, and chloroquine (CQ) and primaquine (PQ) have remained first-line drugs for P. vivax for more than 60 years. Coinfections may lead parasites to evolve with regard to genetics under selective drug pressure. This study is aimed at investigating genes linked to antimalarial resistance in P. vivax before and after introduction of DHA-PPQ as a new drug regimen in Thailand. A total of 400 P. vivax isolates were collected from samples along the Thai-Myanmar and Thai-Malaysian borders before (2009-2015) and after (2016-2019) introduction of DHA-PPQ. Genomic DNA of P. vivax was obtained and subjected to analysis of five drug resistance-associated genes (Pvdhfr, Pvdhps, Pvmdr1, Pvcrt-o, and PvK12) by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and nucleotide sequencing. A high prevalence of Pvdhfr was found in both endemic areas over the period. The quadruple (57I/58R/61M/117T) Pvdhfr haplotype was predominant in both periods in both endemic areas. Although the wild-type haplotype of Pvdhps was predominant in Thai-Malaysian isolates in both periods, a single mutant haplotype (383G) was dominant in Thai-Myanmar isolates during both periods. A low prevalence of the Pvmdr1 976F mutation was found in both periods among Thai-Myanmar isolates. A significant decrease in Pvmdr1 976F was identified in Thai-Malaysian isolates from the second period (p < 0.01). Only one nonsynonymous mutation of Pvcrt-o (193E) and one synonymous mutation of PvK12 (R584) were detected in four isolates (4.7%) and one isolate (0.5%) in the first period among Thai-Myanmar isolates, respectively. Thus, with limited clinical efficacy data, the low prevalence of drug-resistance markers may suggest that there is a low prevalence of P. vivax-resistant strains and that the current drug regimen for P. vivax is still effective for treating this P. vivax parasite population. Continued surveillance of antimalarial drug resistance markers and monitoring of clinical drug efficacy should be conducted for epidemiological and policy implications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jiraporn Kuesap
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, 12120, Thailand.
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Pacheco Souza RS, Dos Reis MF, de Lima Ferreira LC, Morais MC, Lima AKS, Albuquerque Barbosa LR, de Melo GC, de Lacerda MVG. Standardization of DNA extraction from paraffinized spleen samples: molecular diagnosis of human malaria. Malar J 2023; 22:361. [PMID: 38012686 PMCID: PMC10683280 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04764-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax is the main species responsible for human malaria in Brazil, and one of its manifestations is splenic malaria, though there are still challenges in its diagnosis. The present study aimed to standardize Plasmodium sp. DNA extraction from histological slices of spleen and diagnosis using real-time qPCR. METHODS This study performed a microtomy of a paraffin-embedded spleen as a positive control for P. vivax from a patient who had been previously diagnosed with the parasite. The sample was deparaffinized with xylol and ethanol, then DNA extraction was performed with two commercial kits. qPCR was carried out with the Taqman system for detection of Plasmodium sp. and was made species-specific using PvmtCOX1 gene. From 2015 to 2019, 200 spleen samples were obtained from trauma patients subjected to splenectomy in Manaus, Amazonas. All the samples were tested for cell-free human DNA (cfDNA). RESULTS The deparaffinization and the Plasmodium vivax DNA extraction method was successfully standardized, and the control sample was positive for P. vivax. Of the 200 samples, all qPCRs were negative, but they were positive for human PCR. CONCLUSION Paraffinization is practical and efficient for the preservation of samples, but the formation of bonds between proteins and DNA makes extraction difficult. Despite this, in this study, it was possible to standardize a method of DNA extraction for detecting P. vivax.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Luiz Carlos de Lima Ferreira
- Amazonas State University (UEA), Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil
- Doctor Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil
| | - Manuela C Morais
- Federal University of Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, 69080-900, Brazil
| | | | - Laila Rowena Albuquerque Barbosa
- Amazonas State University (UEA), Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil
- Doctor Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil
| | - Gisely Cardoso de Melo
- Amazonas State University (UEA), Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil.
- Doctor Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil.
| | - Marcus Vinicius Guimaraes de Lacerda
- Leonidas & Maria Deane Institute (ILMD), Fiocruz, Manaus, Amazonas, 69057-070, Brazil
- Doctor Heitor Vieira Dourado Tropical Medicine Foundation, Manaus, Amazonas, 69040-000, Brazil
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19
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Mansouri S, Heidari A, Keshavarz H, Fallah P, Bairami A, Mahmoudi E. Genetic diversity of merozoite surface protein-5 (MSP-5) of Plasmodium vivax isolates from Malaria patients in Iran. BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23:807. [PMID: 37978446 PMCID: PMC10656958 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08804-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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria has not yet been eradicated in Iran, and Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) is the main cause of malaria in the country. This study aimed to investigate and analyze the amount of genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-5 (PvMSP-5) exon 1 gene in the southeast of Iran.Thirty-five patients with clinical symptoms of P. vivax malaria participated. The exon 1 of PvMSP-5 was amplified by PCR, and the PCR product of all isolates was sequenced, and genetic polymorphisms were determined using various genetic software.The analysis showed that studied isolates are different from one another in the DnaSP software version. Out of the 612 sites, 477 were monomorphic and 135 were segregated. The total number of mutations was 143. The singleton variable and the parsimony informative sites were 23 and 112, respectively. There were 17 specific haplotypes with haplotype diversity equal to 0.943. Nucleotide diversity was equal to 0.06766 in the isolates. The ratio of nonsynonymous (0.06446) to synonymous (0.07909) mutations was 0.815020. Tajima's D, which expressed coding, and non-coding regions, was 0.72403, which was not deemed significant (P > 0.10).The analysis of intrapopulation diversity revealed nucleotide and haplotype diversity in the msp-5 gene of Iranian P. vivax isolates. In addition to balancing or purifying selection, intragenic recombination also contributed to the variation observed in exon 1 of PvMSP-5, according to the findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sholeh Mansouri
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Aliehsan Heidari
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.
| | - Hossein Keshavarz
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Parviz Fallah
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Amir Bairami
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
| | - Elaheh Mahmoudi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran
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20
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Sutanto E, Pava Z, Echeverry DF, Lopera-Mesa TM, Montenegro LM, Yasnot-Acosta MF, Benavente ED, Pearson RD, Herrera S, Arévalo-Herrera M, Trimarsanto H, Rumaseb A, Noviyanti R, Kwiatkowski DP, Price RN, Auburn S. Genomics of Plasmodium vivax in Colombia reveals evidence of local bottle-necking and inter-country connectivity in the Americas. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19779. [PMID: 37957271 PMCID: PMC10643449 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46076-1] [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: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Colombia aims to eliminate malaria by 2030 but remains one of the highest burden countries in the Americas. Plasmodium vivax contributes half of all malaria cases, with its control challenged by relapsing parasitaemia, drug resistance and cross-border spread. Using 64 Colombian P. vivax genomes collected between 2013 and 2017, we explored diversity and selection in two major foci of transmission: Chocó and Córdoba. Open-access data from other countries were used for comparative assessment of drug resistance candidates and to assess cross-border spread. Across Colombia, polyclonal infections were infrequent (12%), and infection connectivity was relatively high (median IBD = 5%), consistent with low endemicity. Chocó exhibited a higher frequency of polyclonal infections (23%) than Córdoba (7%), although the difference was not significant (P = 0.300). Most Colombian infections carried double pvdhfr (95%) and single pvdhps (71%) mutants, but other drug resistance mutations were less prevalent (< 10%). There was no evidence of selection at the pvaat1 gene, whose P. falciparum orthologue has recently been implicated in chloroquine resistance. Global population comparisons identified other putative adaptations. Within the Americas, low-level connectivity was observed between Colombia and Peru, highlighting potential for cross-border spread. Our findings demonstrate the potential of molecular data to inform on infection spread and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zuleima Pava
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | - Diego F Echeverry
- Departamento de Microbiología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- International Training and Medical Research Center (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
| | | | | | - Maria F Yasnot-Acosta
- Grupo de Investigaciones Microbiológicas y Biomédicas de Córdoba (GIMBIC), Universidad de Córdoba, Monteria, Colombia
| | - Ernest Diez Benavente
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | | | - Myriam Arévalo-Herrera
- Caucaseco Scientific Research Center, Cali, Colombia
- Centro Internacional de Vacunas, Cali, Colombia
| | - Hidayat Trimarsanto
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Angela Rumaseb
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
| | | | | | - Ric N Price
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia.
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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21
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Ding H, Dong Y, Deng Y, Xu Y, Liu Y, Wu J, Chen M, Zhang C, Liu L, Lin Y. Molecular surveillance of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium vivax isolates from malaria cases in Yunnan Province of China using pvcrt-o gene polymorphisms. Malar J 2023; 22:338. [PMID: 37940956 PMCID: PMC10631137 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04776-z] [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: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The efficacy of chloroquine treatment for vivax malaria has been rarely evaluated due to a lack of an appropriate testing method. The objective of this study was to conduct molecular monitoring of chloroquine resistance in Plasmodium vivax strains from vivax malaria patients in Yunnan Province, focusing on the analysis of polymorphism in the P. vivax chloroquine resistance transporter protein orthologous gene (pvcrt-o). METHODS In accordance with the principles of a cohort study, blood samples were collected from malaria cases diagnosed with a P. vivax mono-infection in Yunnan Province from 2020 to 2022. Segmental PCR was used to amplify the whole pvcrt-o gene in the blood samples and their products were subsequently sequenced. The sequencing data were arranged to obtain the full coding DNA sequence (CDS) as well as the gene's promoter region sequences. The CDSs were aligned with the reference sequence (XM_001613407.1) of the P. vivax SalI isolate to identify the mutant loci. RESULTS From a total of 375 blood samples taken from vivax malaria cases, 272 both whole gene CDSs (1272-1275 bp) and promoter DNA sequences (707 bp) of pvcrt-o gene were obtained. Among the whole CDSs, there were 7 single nucleotide polymorphic sites in which c.7 A>G was the minor allele frequency (MAF) site with 4.4% (12/272) detection rate. The mutation detection rate showed a significant decrease from 9.8% (10/102) in 2020 to 1.1% (1/92) in 2021 and 1.3% (1/78) in 2022, indicating statistical significance (χ2 = 11.256, P < 0.05). Among the identified 12 haplotypes, the majority of which were wild type (75.7%; 206/272). These four mutant haplotypes (Hap_3, Hap_5, Hap_9, and Hap_10) were classified as "K10 insertion type" and accounted for 12.1% (33/272). The detection rate of Hap_3 increased from 1.0% (1/102) in 2020 to 13.0% (12/92) in 2021 and 14.1% (11/78) in 2022, indicating statistical significance. A total of 23.8% (65/272) of the samples exhibited 14 bp (bp) deletions in the promoter region, occurring most frequently in the wild type haplotype (Hap_1) samples at a rate of 28.6% (59/206). CONCLUSIONS In recent years in Yunnan Province, a notable proportion of vivax malaria patients are infected by P. vivax strains with a "K10 insertion" and partial sequence deletions in the promoter region of the pvcrt-o gene, necessitating vigilance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyun Ding
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Ying Dong
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China.
| | - Yan Deng
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Yanchun Xu
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Mengni Chen
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Canglin Zhang
- Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan International Joint Laboratory of Tropical Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Li Liu
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China.
| | - Yingkun Lin
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dehong, 678499, China.
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22
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Bradley L, Yewhalaw D, Hemming-Schroeder E, Embury P, Lee MC, Zemene E, Degefa T, King C, Kazura J, Yan G, Dent A. Determination of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Exposure in Two Ethiopian Communities and Its Relationship to Duffy Expression. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023; 109:1028-1035. [PMID: 37918005 PMCID: PMC10622468 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite historical dogma that Duffy blood group negativity of human erythrocytes confers resistance to Plasmodium vivax blood stage infection, cases of P. vivax malaria and asymptomatic blood stage infection (subclinical malaria) have recently been well documented in Duffy-negative individuals throughout Africa. However, the impact of Duffy negativity on the development of naturally acquired immunity to P. vivax remains poorly understood. We examined antibody reactivity to P. vivax and P. falciparum antigens at two field sites in Ethiopia and assessed Duffy gene expression by polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of the GATA-1 transcription factor-binding site of the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC) gene promotor region that is associated with silencing of erythroid cell transcription and absent protein expression. Antibodies to three of the four P. vivax blood stage antigens examined, RBP2b, EBP2, and DBPIISal-1, were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in Duffy-negative individuals relative to Duffy-positive individuals. In stark contrast, no clear pattern was found across Duffy-negative and Duffy-positive genotypes for P. falciparum antibodies. We conclude that lack of erythroid Duffy expression is associated with reduced serologic responses, indicative of less naturally acquired immunity and less cumulative exposure to blood stage P. vivax parasites relative to Duffy positive individuals living in the same communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Bradley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Delenasaw Yewhalaw
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Pathology, College of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | | | - Paula Embury
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Ming-Chieh Lee
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Endalew Zemene
- Tropical and Infectious Diseases Research Center, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Teshome Degefa
- School of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
| | - Christopher King
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - James Kazura
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Guiyun Yan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California
- Program in Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Arlene Dent
- Center for Global Health and Disease, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
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23
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Labadie-Bracho MY, Adhin MR. Advocating for PCR-RFLP as molecular tool within malaria programs in low endemic areas and low resource settings. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011747. [PMID: 37939114 PMCID: PMC10659184 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The road to malaria elimination for low- and middle-income countries is paved with obstacles, including the complexity and high costs of advanced molecular methods for genomic analysis. The usefulness of PCR-RFLP as less complex and affordable molecular surveillance tool in low-endemic malaria regions was assessed in a cross-sectional study conducted in Suriname, currently striving for malaria elimination, but plagued by recent P. vivax outbreaks. Molecular analysis of two highly polymorphic genes Pvmsp-1 F2 and Pvmsp-3α was performed for 49 samples, collected during October 2019 through September 2021 from four different regions with varying malaria transmission risks. RFLP-profiling revealed that outbreak samples from three indigenous villages, almost exclusively, harbored a single clonal type, matching the "Palumeu" lineage previously described in 2019, despite multiple relapses and drug pressure exerted by mass drug administration events, suggesting a limited P. vivax hypnozoite reservoir in Suriname. In contrast, isolates originating from Sophie, a mining area in neighboring French Guiana displayed a highly heterogeneous parasite population consistent with its endemic malaria status, demonstrating the differentiating capacity and thus the usefulness of PCR-RFLP for P. vivax genetic diversity studies. Outbreak reconstruction emphasized the impact of undetected human movement and relapses on reintroduction and resurgence of P. vivax malaria and PCR-RFLP monitoring of circulating parasites guided the roll-out of targeted interventions. PCR-RFLP seems a suitable molecular alternative in low-endemic areas with restricted resources for outbreak analysis, for monitoring the spread or containment of circulating strains and for identification of imported cases or potential foci.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Malti R. Adhin
- Anton de Kom Universiteit van Suriname, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Biochemistry, Kernkampweg, Paramaribo, Suriname
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24
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Stojanovic M, Barac A, Miskovic R, Jovanovic D, Bolpacic J, Ljubicic J, Stevanovic G, Jovanovic S, Bogdanovic A. Myositis-specific autoantibodies in a non-traveler, patient from a non-endemic country, with Plasmodium vivax malaria. J Infect Dev Ctries 2023; 17:1497-1500. [PMID: 37956374 DOI: 10.3855/jidc.18482] [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: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Autoantibodies (AAb) are a hallmark of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Malaria is a parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa. Individuals with malaria may present with a wide range of symptoms. It is frequently linked to the development of different AAb. CASE DESCRIPTION A 35-year-old male presented with repeated episodes of fever, malaise, myalgia, dark urine, and yellowish sclera. Initial diagnostic workup revealed severe Coombs-positive anemia, increased C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin, pathological liver tests, high concentration of serum IgE, IgG, IgM, IgA, positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA), and positive antineutrophil cytoplasmatic antibodies (ANCA). In addition, myositis-specific antibodies directed to polymiositis-scleroderma 75 protein (PmScl75), threonyl-tRNA synthetase (PL-7), alanyl-tRNA synthetase (PL-12), Mi-2 antigen (Mi-2), Ku DNA helicase complex (Ku), signal recognition particle (SRP), and antiaminoacyl tRNA synthetase (EJ) were detected. The patient was suspected of having systemic lupus erythematosus and sent to the Clinic of Allergy and Immunology for further evaluation and treatment. A peripheral blood film examined by the hematologist during an episode of fever revealed intra-erythrocytic parasitic forms of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax). After being diagnosed with P. vivax malaria, he was transferred to the Clinic for Infective and Tropical Diseases. The therapy consisted of artesunate/mefloquine and prednisone led to a complete clinical recovery and autoantibodies gradually disappeared. CONCLUSIONS Malaria would not normally be considered during the initial diagnostic workup in a non-traveler and a patient from a non-endemic country. However, a thorough parasitic evaluation in patients presenting with a broad range of autoantibodies might be of particular importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Stojanovic
- Clinic of Allergy and Immunology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Rada Miskovic
- Clinic of Allergy and Immunology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dragana Jovanovic
- Clinic of Allergy and Immunology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jasna Bolpacic
- Clinic of Allergy and Immunology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Jelena Ljubicic
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia
| | | | - Snezana Jovanovic
- Department of Microbiology, University Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
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25
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Joste V, Colard-Itté E, Guillochon É, Ariey F, Coppée R, Clain J, Houzé S. Genetic Profiling of Plasmodium ovale wallikeri Relapses With Microsatellite Markers and Whole-Genome Sequencing. J Infect Dis 2023; 228:1089-1098. [PMID: 37329228 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiad216] [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] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Like Plasmodium vivax, both Plasmodium ovale curtisi and Plasmodium ovale wallikeri have the ability to cause relapse in humans, defined as recurring asexual parasitemia originating from liver-dormant forms subsequent to a primary infection. Here, we investigated relapse patterns in P ovale wallikeri infections from a cohort of travelers who were exposed to the parasite in sub-Saharan Africa and then experienced relapses after their return to France. Using a novel set of 8 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers, we genotyped 15 P ovale wallikeri relapses. For most relapses, the paired primary and relapse infections were highly genetically related (with 12 being homologous), an observation that was confirmed by whole-genome sequencing for the 4 relapses we further studied. This is, to our knowledge, the first genetic evidence of relapses in P ovale spp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Joste
- Mère et enfant en milieu tropical, Institut Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris Cité
- Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard
| | - Emma Colard-Itté
- Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard
| | - Émilie Guillochon
- Mère et enfant en milieu tropical, Institut Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris Cité
| | - Frédéric Ariey
- Inserm U1016, Institut Cochin, Laboratoire de parasitologie-mycologie, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université de Paris Cité
| | - Romain Coppée
- Université Paris Cité and Sorbonne Paris Nord, Inserm, IAME, Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Clain
- Mère et enfant en milieu tropical, Institut Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris Cité
- Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard
| | - Sandrine Houzé
- Mère et enfant en milieu tropical, Institut Recherche pour le Développement, Université Paris Cité
- Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard
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26
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De Meulenaere K, Cuypers B, Gamboa D, Laukens K, Rosanas-Urgell A. A new Plasmodium vivax reference genome for South American isolates. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:606. [PMID: 37821878 PMCID: PMC10568799 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09707-5] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax is the second most important cause of human malaria worldwide, and accounts for the majority of malaria cases in South America. A high-quality reference genome exists for Papua Indonesia (PvP01) and Thailand (PvW1), but is lacking for South America. A reference genome specifically for South America would be beneficial though, as P. vivax is a genetically diverse parasite with geographical clustering. RESULTS This study presents a new high-quality assembly of a South American P. vivax isolate, referred to as PvPAM (P. vivax Peruvian AMazon). The genome was obtained from a low input patient sample from the Peruvian Amazon and sequenced using PacBio technology, resulting in a highly complete assembly with 6497 functional genes. Telomeric ends were present in 17 out of 28 chromosomal ends, and additional (sub)telomeric regions are present in 12 unassigned contigs. A comparison of multigene families between PvPAM and the PvP01 genome revealed remarkable variation in vir genes, and the presence of merozoite surface proteins (MSP) 3.6 and 3.7. Three dhfr and dhps drug resistance associated mutations are present in PvPAM, similar to those found in other Peruvian isolates. Mapping of publicly available South American whole genome sequencing (WGS) data to PvPAM resulted in significantly fewer variants and truncated reads compared to the use of PvP01 or PvW1 as reference genomes. To minimize the number of core genome variants in non-South American samples, PvW1 is most suited for Southeast Asian isolates, both PvPAM and PvW1 are suited for South Asian isolates, and PvPAM is recommended for African isolates. Interestingly, non-South American samples still contained the least subtelomeric variants when mapped to PvPAM, indicating high quality of the PvPAM subtelomeric regions. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show that the PvPAM reference genome more accurately represents South American P. vivax isolates in comparison to PvP01 and PvW1. In addition, PvPAM has a high level of completeness, and contains a similar number of annotated genes as PvP01 or PvW1. The PvPAM genome therefore will be a valuable resource to improve future genomic analyses on P. vivax isolates from the South American continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katlijn De Meulenaere
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Bart Cuypers
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Dionicia Gamboa
- Instituto de Medicina Tropical Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
- Departamento de Ciencias Celulares y Moleculares, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Kris Laukens
- Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Anna Rosanas-Urgell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
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27
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Arya A, Meena SS, Matlani M, Chaudhry S, Singh V. Trends in clinical features and severity of Plasmodium vivax malaria among children at tertiary care center in North India. J Trop Pediatr 2023; 69:fmad034. [PMID: 37864522 DOI: 10.1093/tropej/fmad034] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Malaria is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in adults and children. Plasmodium falciparum is the primary cause of severe malaria, but recently Plasmodium vivax is also recognized to cause severe malaria-associated morbidity and mortality. The study focuses on determining the mortality related to severity parameters in individuals under 12 years and their critical presentation in P.vivax malaria-infected children. METHODS A prospective cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, and ICMR-NIMR, New Delhi. All clinically suspected cases were admitted for screening. Exclusion criteria (rapid malaria antigen test, microscopy and medication history) were applied to all the admitted patients (n = 221) to obtain P.vivax patients only. Patients aged ≤ 12 years were included in the study. DNA was extracted from dried blood spots and amplified by nested PCR, followed by visualization on gel electrophoresis. RESULT A total of 221 clinically suspected cases of malaria were screened for P.vivax. After implementing various exclusion criteria, 45/221 cases were enrolled for the study, among which 44.4% (20/45) of children had the symptoms of severe malaria in terms of cerebral malaria, thrombocytopenia, anemia, pancytopenia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. CONCLUSION Plasmodium vivax mono-infection can cause severe manifestation and must be treated as P.falciparum without any delay because it may lead to increased morbidity and mortality. A changing trend in clinical symptoms has shown in P.vivax which was an earlier phenomenon of P.falciparum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditi Arya
- Cell Biology Laboratory and Malaria Parasite Bank, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi 110077, India
| | - Shyam Sundar Meena
- Department of Pediatrics, VMMC, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi 110029, India
| | - Monika Matlani
- Department of Microbiology, VMMC, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi 110029, India
| | - Shewta Chaudhry
- Cell Biology Laboratory and Malaria Parasite Bank, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi 110077, India
| | - Vineeta Singh
- Cell Biology Laboratory and Malaria Parasite Bank, ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi 110077, India
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Sena-Dos-Santos C, Cavalcante GC, Marques D, Silva CS, de Moraes MR, Pinto P, Santana-da-Silva MN, Ferraz RS, Costa SPT, Ventura AMR, Póvoa MM, Cunha MG, Ribeiro-Dos-Santos Â. Association of apoptosis-related variants to malaria infection and parasite density in individuals from the Brazilian Amazon. Malar J 2023; 22:295. [PMID: 37794476 PMCID: PMC10552311 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04729-6] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In malaria infection, apoptosis acts as an important immunomodulatory mechanism that leads to the elimination of parasitized cells, thus reducing the parasite density and controlling immune cell populations. Here, it was investigated the association of INDEL variants in apoptotic genes-rs10562972 (FAS), rs4197 (FADD), rs3834129 and rs59308963 (CASP8), rs61079693 (CASP9), rs4647655 (CASP3), rs11269260 (BCL-2), and rs17880560 (TP53)-and the influence of genetic ancestry with susceptibility to malaria and parasite density in an admixed population from the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS Total DNA was extracted from 126 malaria patients and 101 uninfected individuals for investigation of genetic ancestries and genotypic distribution of apoptosis-related variants by Multiplex PCR. Association analyses consisted of multivariate logistic regressions, considering the following comparisons: (i) DEL/DEL genotype vs. INS/DEL + INS/INS; and (ii) INS/INS vs. INS/DEL + DEL/DEL. RESULTS Individuals infected by Plasmodium falciparum had significantly higher African ancestry proportions in comparison to uninfected controls, Plasmodium vivax, and mixed infections. The INS/INS genotype of rs3834129 (CASP8) seemed to increase the risk for P. falciparum infection (P = 0.038; OR = 1.867; 95% CI 0.736-3.725), while the DEL/DEL genotype presented a significant protective effect against infection by P. falciparum (P = 0.049; OR = 0.446; 95% CI 0.185-0.944) and mixed infection (P = 0.026; OR = 0.545; 95% CI 0.281-0.996), and was associated with lower parasite density in P. falciparum malaria (P = 0.009; OR = 0.383; 95% CI 0.113-1.295). Additionally, the INS/INS genotype of rs10562972 (FAS) was more frequent among individuals infected with P. vivax compared to P. falciparum (P = 0.036; OR = 2.493; 95% CI 1.104-4.551), and the DEL/DEL genotype of rs17880560 (TP53) was significantly more present in patients with mono-infection by P. vivax than in individuals with mixed infection (P = 0.029; OR = 0.667; 95% CI 0.211-1.669). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, variants in apoptosis genes are associated with malaria susceptibility and parasite density, indicating the role of apoptosis-related genetic profiles in immune responses against malaria infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Sena-Dos-Santos
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Giovanna C Cavalcante
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Diego Marques
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Caio S Silva
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Milene Raiol de Moraes
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Pablo Pinto
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
- Laboratory of Dermatoimmunology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Marituba, Brazil
| | - Mayara Natália Santana-da-Silva
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Rafaella S Ferraz
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | | | - Ana Maria R Ventura
- Division of Parasitology, Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC), Ananindeua, Brazil
| | - Marinete M Póvoa
- Division of Parasitology, Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC), Ananindeua, Brazil
| | - Maristela G Cunha
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil
| | - Ândrea Ribeiro-Dos-Santos
- Laboratory of Human and Medical Genetics, Program of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Belém, Brazil.
- Program of Oncology and Medical Sciences, Oncology Research Center, Belém, Brazil.
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Ferraboli JW, Soares da Veiga GT, Albrecht L. Plasmodium vivax transcriptomics: What is new? Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2023; 248:1645-1656. [PMID: 37786955 PMCID: PMC10723030 DOI: 10.1177/15353702231198070] [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: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria is the leading human parasitosis and is transmitted through the bite of anopheline mosquitoes infected with parasites of the genus Plasmodium spp. Among the seven species that cause malaria in humans, Plasmodium vivax is the most prevalent species in Latin America. In recent years, there have been an increasing number of reports of clinical complications caused by P. vivax infections, which were previously neglected and underestimated. P. vivax biology remains with large gaps. The emergence of next-generation sequencing technology has ensured a breakthrough in species knowledge. Coupled with this, the deposition of the P. vivax Sal-1 reference genome allowed an increase in transcriptomics projects by accessing messenger RNA. Thus, the regulation of differential gene expression according to the parasite life stage was verified, and several expressed genes were linked to different biological functions. Today, with the progress associated with RNA sequencing technologies, it is possible to detect nuances and obtain robust results. Discoveries provided by transcriptomic studies allow us to understand topics such as RNA expression and regulation and proteins and metabolic pathways involved during different stages of the parasite life cycle. The information obtained enables a better comprehension of immune system evasion mechanisms; invasion and adhesion strategies used by the parasite; as well as new vaccine targets, potential molecular markers, and others therapeutic targets. In this review, we provide new insights into P. vivax biology by summarizing recent findings in transcriptomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Weber Ferraboli
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba 81310-020, Brazil
| | - Gisele Tatiane Soares da Veiga
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba 81310-020, Brazil
| | - Letusa Albrecht
- Laboratory of Apicomplexan Parasites Research, Carlos Chagas Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Curitiba 81310-020, Brazil
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Kundu P, Naskar D, McKie SJ, Dass S, Kanjee U, Introini V, Ferreira MU, Cicuta P, Duraisingh M, Deane JE, Rayner JC. The structure of a Plasmodium vivax Tryptophan Rich Antigen domain suggests a lipid binding function for a pan-Plasmodium multi-gene family. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5703. [PMID: 37709739 PMCID: PMC10502043 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40885-8] [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: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Tryptophan Rich Antigens (TRAgs) are encoded by a multi-gene family found in all Plasmodium species, but are significantly expanded in P. vivax and closely related parasites. We show that multiple P. vivax TRAgs are expressed on the merozoite surface and that one, PVP01_0000100 binds red blood cells with a strong preference for reticulocytes. Using X-ray crystallography, we solved the structure of the PVP01_0000100 C-terminal tryptophan rich domain, which defines the TRAg family, revealing a three-helical bundle that is conserved across Plasmodium and has structural homology with lipid-binding BAR domains involved in membrane remodelling. Biochemical assays confirm that the PVP01_0000100 C-terminal domain has lipid binding activity with preference for sulfatide, a glycosphingolipid present in the outer leaflet of plasma membranes. Deletion of the putative orthologue in P. knowlesi, PKNH_1300500, impacts invasion in reticulocytes, suggesting a role during this essential process. Together, this work defines an emerging molecular function for the Plasmodium TRAg family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasun Kundu
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Deboki Naskar
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shannon J McKie
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sheena Dass
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Usheer Kanjee
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Viola Introini
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marcelo U Ferreira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, LA-REAL, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Pietro Cicuta
- Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Manoj Duraisingh
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Janet E Deane
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Julian C Rayner
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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van Loon W, Oliveira R, Bergmann C, Habarugira F, Tacoli C, Jäger J, Savelsberg D, Mbarushimana D, Ndoli JM, Sendegeya A, Bayingana C, Mockenhaupt FP. Plasmodium vivax Malaria in Duffy-Positive Patients in Rwanda. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023; 109:621-623. [PMID: 37549894 PMCID: PMC10484245 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0143] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax is the second-most common malaria pathogen globally, but is considered very rare in the predominantly Duffy-negative sub-Saharan African population. In 259 malaria patients from highland southern Rwanda, we assessed Plasmodium species and Duffy blood group status by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium ovale were seen in 90.7%, 8.1%, 11.6%, and 5.0%, respectively. Plasmodium vivax occurred more frequently as a monoinfection than in combination with P. falciparum. All P. vivax-infected individuals showed heterozygous Duffy positivity, whereas this was the case for only 3.1% of patients with P. falciparum monoinfection and malaria-negative control subjects (P < 0.01). Based on PCR diagnosis, P. vivax is not rare in southern Rwanda. All episodes of P. vivax were observed in heterozygous Duffy-positive patients, whereas elsewhere in Africa, P. vivax is also reported in Duffy-negative individuals. Refined mapping of Plasmodium species is required to establish control and elimination strategies including all malaria species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Welmoed van Loon
- Institute of International Health, Center for Global Health, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rafael Oliveira
- Institute of International Health, Center for Global Health, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Clara Bergmann
- Institute of International Health, Center for Global Health, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Felix Habarugira
- Pathology Department, University Teaching Hospital of Butare, Huye, Rwanda
| | - Costanza Tacoli
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Julia Jäger
- Associatid Group Immune Ontogeny and Viral Infections, Leibniz Institute of Virology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Darius Savelsberg
- Institute of International Health, Center for Global Health, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Jules M. Ndoli
- Clinical Education and Research Division, University Teaching Hospital of Butare, Huye, Rwanda
| | | | | | - Frank P. Mockenhaupt
- Institute of International Health, Center for Global Health, Charité–Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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32
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Prah DA, Dunican C, Amoah LE, Marjaneh MM, Kaforou M, Nordgren A, Jones-Warner W, Aniweh Y, Awandare GA, Cunnington AJ, Hafalla JC. Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infection evades triggering a host transcriptomic response. J Infect 2023; 87:259-262. [PMID: 37356628 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinf.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Diana Ahu Prah
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claire Dunican
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Linda Eva Amoah
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; Immunology Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Mahdi Moradi Marjaneh
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Myrsini Kaforou
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - Asa Nordgren
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
| | - William Jones-Warner
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yaw Aniweh
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Gordon A Awandare
- West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; Department of Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology, College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
| | - Aubrey J Cunnington
- Section of Paediatric Infectious Disease, Department of Infectious Disease, Imperial College London, United Kingdom; Centre for Paediatrics and Child Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
| | - Julius Clemence Hafalla
- Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Medicine, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
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Ramírez ADR, de Jesus MCS, Menezes RAO, Santos-Filho MC, Gomes MSM, Pimenta TS, Barbosa VS, Rossit J, Reis NF, Brito SCP, Sampaio MP, Cassiano GC, Storti-Melo LM, Baptista ARS, Machado RLD. Polymorphisms in Toll-Like receptors genes and their associations with immunological parameters in Plasmodium vivax malaria in the Brazil-French Guiana Border. Cytokine 2023; 169:156278. [PMID: 37356261 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156278] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The innate immune response plays an important role during malaria. Toll-like receptors (TLR) are capable of recognizing pathogen molecules. We aimed to evaluate five polymorphisms in TLR-4, TLR-6, and TLR-9 genes and their association with cytokine levels and clinical parameters in malaria from the Brazil-French Guiana border. METHODS A case-control study was conducted in Amapá, Brazil. P. vivax patients and individuals not infected were evaluated. Genotyping of five SNPs was carried out by qPCR. Circulating cytokines were measured by CBA. The MSP-119 IgG antibodies were performed by ELISA. RESULTS An association between TLR4 A299G with parasitemia was observed. There was an increase for IFN-ɤ, TNF-ɑ, IL-6, and IL-10 in the TLR-4 A299G and T3911, TLR-6 S249P, and TLR-9 1486C/T, SNPs for the studied malarial groups. There were significant findings for the TLR-4 variants A299G and T3911, TLR-9 1237C/T, and 1486C/T. For the reactivity of MSP-119 antibodies levels, no significant results were found in malaria, and control groups. CONCLUSIONS The profile of the immune response observed by polymorphisms in TLRs genes does not seem to be standard for all types of malaria infection around the world. This can depend on the human population and the species of Plasmodium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aina D R Ramírez
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Myrela C S de Jesus
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rubens A O Menezes
- Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá 68903-419, Amapá, Brazil
| | - Marcelo C Santos-Filho
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Margarete S M Gomes
- Superintendence of Health Surveillance of the State of Amapá, Macapá 68902-865, Amapá, Brazil
| | - Tamirys S Pimenta
- Instituto Evandro Chagas / Secretaria de Vigilância em Saude / Ministério da Saude, Ananindeua 67030-000, Pará, Brazil
| | - Vanessa S Barbosa
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Julia Rossit
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Nathalia F Reis
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Simone Cristina Pereira Brito
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Marrara Pereira Sampaio
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Luciane M Storti-Melo
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49100-000, Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Andrea R S Baptista
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ricardo L D Machado
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24020-141 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, 24210-130 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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de Jesus MCS, Cerilo-Filho M, Ramirez ADR, Menezes RAO, Gomes MSM, Cassiano GC, Gurgel RQ, Silva JRS, Moura TR, Pratt-Riccio LR, Baptista ARS, Storti-Melo LM, Machado RLD. Influence of trem-1 gene polymorphisms on cytokine levels during malaria by Plasmodium vivax in a frontier area of the Brazilian Amazon. Cytokine 2023; 169:156264. [PMID: 37327529 DOI: 10.1016/j.cyto.2023.156264] [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: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The immunopathology during malaria depends on the level of inflammatory response generated. In this scenario, the TREM-1 has been associated with the severity of infectious diseases and could play an important role in the inflammatory course of malaria. We aimed to describe the allelic and genotypic frequency of four polymorphisms in the trem-1 gene in Plasmodium vivax-infected patients and to verify the association of these polymorphisms with clinical and immunological factors in a frontier area of the Brazilian Amazon. METHODS We included 76 individuals infected with P. vivax and 144 healthy controls living in the municipality of Oiapoque, Amapá, Brazil. The levels of TNF-α, IL-10, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-γ were measured by flow cytometry, while IL-6, sTREM-1, and antibodies against PvMSP-119 were evaluated by ELISA. The SNPs were genotyped by qPCR technique. Polymorphisms analysis, allelic and genotype, frequencies, and HWE calculation were determined by x2 test in R Software. The association between the parasitemia, gametocytes, antibodies, cytokines, and sTREM-1 with the genotypes of malaria and control groups was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, these analyzes were conducted in SPSS Software, at 5% significance level. RESULTS All SNPs were successfully genotyped. Allelic and genotypic distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. Furthermore, several associations were identified between malaria and control groups, with increased levels of IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in the infected individuals with rs6910730A, rs2234237T, rs2234246T, rs4711668C alleles compared to the homozygous wild-type and heterozygous genotypes of the controls (p-value < 0.05). No association was found for these SNPs and the levels of IL-2, and sTREM-1. CONCLUSIONS The SNPs on the trem-1 gene are associated with the effector molecules of the innate immunity and may contribute to the identification and effective participation of trem-1 in the modulation of the immune response. This association may be essential for the establishment of immunization strategies against malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrela C S de Jesus
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24020-141, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24210-130, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
| | - Marcelo Cerilo-Filho
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24020-141, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24210-130, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Aina D R Ramirez
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24020-141, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24210-130, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Rubens A O Menezes
- Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24210-130, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Federal University of Amapá (UNIFAP), Macapá 68903-419, Amapá, Brazil
| | - Margarete S M Gomes
- Superintendence of Health Surveillance of the State of Amapá, Macapá 68902-865, Amapá, Brazil
| | | | - Ricardo Q Gurgel
- Postgraduate Program in Parasite Biology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49100-000, Sergipe, Brazil
| | - José R S Silva
- Postgraduate Program in Parasite Biology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49100-000, Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Tatiana R Moura
- Postgraduate Program in Parasite Biology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49100-000, Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Lilian R Pratt-Riccio
- Laboratory for Malaria Research, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Rio de Janeiro 21040-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andrea R S Baptista
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24020-141, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24210-130, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Luciane M Storti-Melo
- Postgraduate Program in Parasite Biology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49100-000, Sergipe, Brazil; Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49100-000, Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Ricardo L D Machado
- Center for Microorganisms' Investigation, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24020-141, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Applied Microbiology and Parasitology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói 24210-130, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Parasite Biology, Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristóvão 49100-000, Sergipe, Brazil
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Nicholas J, De SL, Thawornpan P, Brashear AM, Kolli SK, Subramani PA, Barnes SJ, Cui L, Chootong P, Ntumngia FB, Adams JH. Preliminary characterization of Plasmodium vivax sporozoite antigens as pre-erythrocytic vaccine candidates. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011598. [PMID: 37703302 PMCID: PMC10519608 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011598] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax pre-erythrocytic (PE) vaccine research has lagged far behind efforts to develop Plasmodium falciparum vaccines. There is a critical gap in our knowledge of PE antigen targets that can induce functionally inhibitory neutralizing antibody responses. To overcome this gap and guide the selection of potential PE vaccine candidates, we considered key characteristics such as surface exposure, essentiality to infectivity and liver stage development, expression as recombinant proteins, and functional immunogenicity. Selected P. vivax sporozoite antigens were surface sporozoite protein 3 (SSP3), sporozoite microneme protein essential for cell traversal (SPECT1), sporozoite surface protein essential for liver-stage development (SPELD), and M2 domain of MAEBL. Sequence analysis revealed little variation occurred in putative B-cell and T-cell epitopes of the PE candidates. Each antigen was tested for expression as refolded recombinant proteins using an established bacterial expression platform and only SPELD failed. The successfully expressed antigens were immunogenic in vaccinated laboratory mice and were positively reactive with serum antibodies of P. vivax-exposed residents living in an endemic region in Thailand. Vaccine immune antisera were tested for reactivity to native sporozoite proteins and for their potential vaccine efficacy using an in vitro inhibition of liver stage development assay in primary human hepatocytes quantified on day 6 post-infection by high content imaging analysis. The anti-PE sera produced significant inhibition of P. vivax sporozoite invasion and liver stage development. This report provides an initial characterization of potential new PE candidates for a future P. vivax vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Nicholas
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Sai Lata De
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Pongsakorn Thawornpan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Awtum M. Brashear
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Surendra Kumar Kolli
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Pradeep Annamalai Subramani
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Samantha J. Barnes
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Liwang Cui
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Patchanee Chootong
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Applied Technology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Francis Babila Ntumngia
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - John H. Adams
- Center for Global Health and Interdisciplinary Research, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
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Biswas S, Nain M, Ahmad SS, Sharma A. Role of Human Twin Studies to Identify Genetic Linkage of Malaria Pathogenesis and Outcomes. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2023; 109:241-247. [PMID: 37277110 PMCID: PMC10397443 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.23-0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Malaria remains a major public health challenge that needs attention, especially when the world is aiming at malaria elimination in the near future. It is crucial to understand the underlying genetic factors and epigenetics involved in malaria susceptibility and the dynamics of host immune responses that affect disease outcomes and relapses in Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale. Studies in newborn and adult twins can help in understanding the comparative roles of environmental and genetic factors on disease pathogenesis and outcome. These studies can help in providing insights into the factors responsible for malaria susceptibility, clinical presentation, responsiveness toward existing as well as candidate antimalarials, and even identification of novel therapeutic targets. The results and outcomes from twin studies can be further applied to the entire population. In the present manuscript, we analyze the available literature on malaria and human twins and discuss the significance and benefits of twin studies to help in better understanding malaria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shibani Biswas
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India
| | - Minu Nain
- ICMR-National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Amit Sharma
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research, Ghaziabad, India
- Molecular Medicine, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India
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Rumaseb A, Moraes Barros RR, Sá JM, Juliano JJ, William T, Braima KA, Barber BE, Anstey NM, Price RN, Grigg MJ, Marfurt J, Auburn S. No Association between the Plasmodium vivax crt-o MS334 or In9 pvcrt Polymorphisms and Chloroquine Failure in a Pre-Elimination Clinical Cohort from Malaysia with a Large Clonal Expansion. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2023; 67:e0161022. [PMID: 37314336 PMCID: PMC10353443 DOI: 10.1128/aac.01610-22] [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: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasing reports of resistance to a frontline malaria blood-stage treatment, chloroquine (CQ), raises concerns for the elimination of Plasmodium vivax. The absence of an effective molecular marker of CQ resistance in P. vivax greatly constrains surveillance of this emerging threat. A recent genetic cross between CQ sensitive (CQS) and CQ resistant (CQR) NIH-1993 strains of P. vivax linked a moderate CQR phenotype with two candidate markers in P. vivax CQ resistance transporter gene (pvcrt-o): MS334 and In9pvcrt. Longer TGAAGH motif lengths at MS334 were associated with CQ resistance, as were shorter motifs at the In9pvcrt locus. In this study, high-grade CQR clinical isolates of P. vivax from a low endemic setting in Malaysia were used to investigate the association between the MS334 and In9pvcrt variants and treatment efficacy. Among a total of 49 independent monoclonal P. vivax isolates assessed, high-quality MS334 and In9pvcrt sequences could be derived from 30 (61%) and 23 (47%), respectively. Five MS334 and six In9pvcrt alleles were observed, with allele frequencies ranging from 2 to 76% and 3 to 71%, respectively. None of the clinical isolates had the same variant as the NIH-1993 CQR strain, and none of the variants were associated with CQ treatment failure (all P > 0.05). Multi-locus genotypes (MLGs) at 9 neutral microsatellites revealed a predominant P. vivax strain (MLG6) accounting for 52% of Day 0 infections. The MLG6 strain comprised equal proportions of CQS and CQR infections. Our study reveals complexity in the genetic basis of CQ resistance in the Malaysian P. vivax pre-elimination setting and suggests that the proposed pvcrt-o MS334 and In9pvcrt markers are not reliable markers of CQ treatment efficacy in this setting. Further studies are needed in other endemic settings, applying hypothesis-free genome-wide approaches, and functional approaches to understand the biological impact of the TGAAGH repeats linked to CQ response in a cross are warranted to comprehend and track CQR P. vivax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Rumaseb
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Roberto R. Moraes Barros
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Juliana M. Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Jonathan J. Juliano
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Timothy William
- Clinical Research Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sabah, Malaysia
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Kamil A. Braima
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Bridget E. Barber
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Nicholas M. Anstey
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Ric N. Price
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Matthew J. Grigg
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Jutta Marfurt
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Lazrek Y, Florimond C, Volney B, Discours M, Mosnier E, Houzé S, Pelleau S, Musset L. Molecular detection of human Plasmodium species using a multiplex real time PCR. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11388. [PMID: 37452123 PMCID: PMC10349082 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38621-9] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular detection methods have revealed higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests for malaria diagnosis. In this study, we implemented, evaluated and validated according to the ISO 15,189 requirements, a multiplex real-time PCR assay to detect and identify the five human malaria parasites. DNA samples were extracted from whole blood or dried blood spots drawn from patients. Based on the External Quality Assessment (whole blood), this method shows 100% sensitivity and specificity. This PCR detected P. vivax up to 0.25 p/µl, P. falciparum and P. knowlesi up to 0.5 p/µl, P. ovale up to 1 p/µl and P. malariae up to 5 p/µl of blood. From blood spots (extraction from four punches), it detected P. vivax at 5 p/µl, P. falciparum, P. ovale and P. knowlesi at 20 p/µl and P. malariae at 125 p/µl. In conclusion, this quantitative PCR shows excellent performance, is easy to use and DNA saver. It is especially useful to actively screen large population groups and identify the five human malaria parasites in a context of low malaria transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yassamine Lazrek
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance, Centre Nationale de Référence du Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana.
| | - Célia Florimond
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance, Centre Nationale de Référence du Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Béatrice Volney
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance, Centre Nationale de Référence du Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Manon Discours
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance, Centre Nationale de Référence du Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana
| | - Emilie Mosnier
- Aix Marseille Univ, INSERM, IRD, SESSTIM, Sciences Economiques & Sociales de la Santé & Traitement de l'Information Médicale, Aix Marseille Institute of Public Health ISSPAM, 13385, Marseille, France
| | - Sandrine Houzé
- IRD, MERIT, Université Paris Cité, 75006, Paris, France
- Centre National de Référence du Paludisme, AP-HP, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, 75018, Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Pelleau
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance, Centre Nationale de Référence du Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Analytics Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Lise Musset
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Surveillance of Antimalarial Drug Resistance, Centre Nationale de Référence du Paludisme, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana
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Erdoğan E, Türe Yüce Z, Ayrık Demir A, Yaman O, Yürük M, Yıldız O. [A Marginal Case of Malaria: An Interesting Malaria Story of Cameroon Origin]. MIKROBIYOL BUL 2023; 57:498-505. [PMID: 37462313 DOI: 10.5578/mb.20239942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Malaria is a serious, contagious infection caused by single-celled parasites. About 200 species of Plasmodium have been described that can cause infection in vertebrates. Five different species of Plasmodium are known to cause infection in humans to date. Infection with more than one type of pathogen is called coinfection. This type of infections can be caused by different species of the same genus, as well as by different species. Malaria coinfections are mostly caused by the combination of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. In this study, a case of malaria admitted to the hospital and diagnosed was presented. Thin smear blood preparations were prepared from the peripheral blood of a 54 year-old Republic of Türkiye citizen male patient who applied to the emergency department with fever and chills. The preparations were stained with Giemsa and examined under a microscope with a x 100 objective, and trophozoite and gametocyte forms belonging to Plasmodium genus were determined. As a result of probe-based quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRt-PCR) study with primers specific to Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium knowlesi for definitive species identification, co-infection of P.vivax, P.falciparum, P.ovale and P.knowlesi was detected in the patient. In addition, it was proved that our patient was infected with four different species by conventional PCR study in which five species were studied and then by DNA sequence analysis. On the fourth day of artemether-lumefantrine treatment, the patient's fever response was observed and the trophozoite forms disappeared from the third day in the daily peripheral smear follow-up. Since P.vivax and P.ovale species were also detected after species determination by molecular methods, primaquine 1 x 30 mg tablet was added to the existing drugs for the treatment of hypnozoite forms of the parasite. In recent years, there has been an increase in malaria imported cases, especially after visits to African countries. Such rare cases of malaria coinfection may be encountered during visits to geographies located at the intersection of endemic regions. According to the data of the World Health Organization, maximum attention should be paid to the prevention and prophylaxis protocols from vectors, especially in travels to countries with the highest mortality and morbidity. In co-infection cases similar to our patient, for tertian malaria and tertiary ovale malaria, hypnozoid therapy should not be overlooked. When the insecticide-resistant vectors and drug-resistant Plasmodium strains encountered in recent years are evaluated as a whole, there is a need to develop more effective strategies in the fight against malaria. In addition to microscopic examination, which is accepted as the gold standard, we believe that evaluating molecular studies together in diagnosis is extremely important for the treatment process when hypnozoite periods are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emrah Erdoğan
- Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Parasitology, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Zeynep Türe Yüce
- Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Atiye Ayrık Demir
- Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Ozan Yaman
- Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Parasitology, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Merve Yürük
- Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Parasitology, Kayseri, Türkiye
| | - Orhan Yıldız
- Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Kayseri, Türkiye
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Abebe A, Menard D, Dugassa S, Assefa A, Juliano JJ, Lo E, Golassa L. Significant number of Plasmodium vivax mono-infections by PCR misidentified as mixed infections (P. vivax/P. falciparum) by microscopy and rapid diagnostic tests: malaria diagnostic challenges in Ethiopia. Malar J 2023; 22:201. [PMID: 37393257 PMCID: PMC10314452 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-023-04635-x] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plasmodium vivax malaria is now recognized as a cause of severe morbidity and mortality, resulting in a substantial negative effect on health especially in endemic countries. Accurate and prompt diagnosis and treatment of P. vivax malaria is vital for the control and elimination of the disease. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2021 to September 2022 at five malaria endemic sites in Ethiopia including Aribaminch, Shewarobit, Metehara, Gambella, and Dubti. A total of 365 samples that were diagnosed positive for P. vivax (mono and mixed infection) using RDT, site level microscopists and expert microscopists were selected for PCR. Statistical analyses were performed to calculate the proportions, agreement (k), frequencies, and ranges among different diagnostic methods. Fisher's exact tests and correlation test were used to detect associations and relationship between different variables. RESULTS Of the 365 samples, 324 (88.8%), 37(10.1%), 2 (0.5%), and 2 (0.5%) were P. vivax (mono), P. vivax/Plasmodium falciparum (mixed), P. falciparum (mono) and negative by PCR, respectively. The overall agreement of rapid diagnostic test (RDT), site level microscopy and expert microscopists result with PCR was 90.41% (k: 0.49), 90.96% (k: 0.53), and 80.27% (k: 0.24). The overall prevalence of sexual (gametocyte) stage P. vivax in the study population was 215/361 (59.6%). The majority of these 215 samples (180; 83.7%) had below 1000 parasites/µl, with only four samples (1.9%) had ≥ 5000 parasites/µl. The gametocyte density was found to be weakly positive but statically significant with asexual parasitaemia (r = 0.31; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Both microscopy and RDT showed moderate agreement with PCR in the detection and identification of P. vivax (mono) and P. vivax/P. falciparum (mixed) infections. Therefore, to achieve malaria elimination goals, strengthening routine malaria diagnostic methods by implementing diagnostic tools with a good performance in detecting and accurately identifying malaria species in clinical settings is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abnet Abebe
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Didier Menard
- Laboratory of Parasitology and Mycology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Sisay Dugassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Ashenafi Assefa
- Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Division of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jonathan J Juliano
- Division of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Eugenia Lo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bioinformatics Research Center, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lemu Golassa
- Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Ward KE, Christensen P, Racklyeft A, Dhingra SK, Chua ACY, Remmert C, Suwanarusk R, Matheson J, Blackman MJ, Kaneko O, Kyle DE, Lee MCS, Moon RW, Snounou G, Rénia L, Fidock DA, Russell B, Bifani P. Integrative Genetic Manipulation of Plasmodium cynomolgi Reveals Multidrug Resistance-1 Y976F Associated With Increased In Vitro Susceptibility to Mefloquine. J Infect Dis 2023; 227:1121-1126. [PMID: 36478252 PMCID: PMC10175063 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac469] [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: 07/03/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of a long-term in vitro culture method has severely restricted the study of Plasmodium vivax, in part because it limits genetic manipulation and reverse genetics. We used the recently optimized Plasmodium cynomolgi Berok in vitro culture model to investigate the putative P. vivax drug resistance marker MDR1 Y976F. Introduction of this mutation using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-CRISPR-associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) increased sensitivity to mefloquine, but had no significant effect on sensitivity to chloroquine, amodiaquine, piperaquine, and artesunate. To our knowledge, this is the first reported use of CRISPR-Cas9 in P. cynomolgi, and the first reported integrative genetic manipulation of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt E Ward
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Peter Christensen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Annie Racklyeft
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Satish K Dhingra
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Adeline C Y Chua
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Caroline Remmert
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Rossarin Suwanarusk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Jessica Matheson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Michael J Blackman
- Malaria Biochemistry Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Osamu Kaneko
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Marcus C S Lee
- Parasites and Microbes Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Robert W Moon
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Georges Snounou
- 11-INSERM U1184, Immunology of Viral Infections and Autoimmune Diseases, Infectious Disease Models and Innovative Therapies Department, Institut de biologie François Jacob, Direction de Recherche Fondamentale, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives-Université Paris Sud, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Laurent Rénia
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - 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
| | - Bruce Russell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Department of Protozoology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Pablo Bifani
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, Singapore
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Sauer LM, Canovas R, Roche D, Shams-Eldin H, Ravel P, Colinge J, Schwarz RT, Ben Mamoun C, Rivals E, Cornillot E. FT-GPI, a highly sensitive and accurate predictor of GPI-anchored proteins, reveals the composition and evolution of the GPI proteome in Plasmodium species. Malar J 2023; 22:27. [PMID: 36698187 PMCID: PMC9876418 DOI: 10.1186/s12936-022-04430-0] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Protozoan parasites are known to attach specific and diverse group of proteins to their plasma membrane via a GPI anchor. In malaria parasites, GPI-anchored proteins (GPI-APs) have been shown to play an important role in host-pathogen interactions and a key function in host cell invasion and immune evasion. Because of their immunogenic properties, some of these proteins have been considered as malaria vaccine candidates. However, identification of all possible GPI-APs encoded by these parasites remains challenging due to their sequence diversity and limitations of the tools used for their characterization. METHODS The FT-GPI software was developed to detect GPI-APs based on the presence of a hydrophobic helix at both ends of the premature peptide. FT-GPI was implemented in C ++and applied to study the GPI-proteome of 46 isolates of the order Haemosporida. Using the GPI proteome of Plasmodium falciparum strain 3D7 and Plasmodium vivax strain Sal-1, a heuristic method was defined to select the most sensitive and specific FT-GPI software parameters. RESULTS FT-GPI enabled revision of the GPI-proteome of P. falciparum and P. vivax, including the identification of novel GPI-APs. Orthology- and synteny-based analyses showed that 19 of the 37 GPI-APs found in the order Haemosporida are conserved among Plasmodium species. Our analyses suggest that gene duplication and deletion events may have contributed significantly to the evolution of the GPI proteome, and its composition correlates with speciation. CONCLUSION FT-GPI-based prediction is a useful tool for mining GPI-APs and gaining further insights into their evolution and sequence diversity. This resource may also help identify new protein candidates for the development of vaccines for malaria and other parasitic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena M. Sauer
- Institute for Virology, Hans-Meerwein-Straße, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- Computational Biology Institute, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
- Present Address: GRN-Klinik Sinsheim, Alte Waibstadter Straße 2a, 74889 Sinsheim, Germany
| | - Rodrigo Canovas
- Computational Biology Institute, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141LIRMM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Daniel Roche
- Computational Biology Institute, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141LIRMM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Hosam Shams-Eldin
- Institute for Virology, Hans-Meerwein-Straße, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Patrice Ravel
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier INSERM U1094, ICM, Université de Montpellier, Campus Val d’Aurelle, 208 Avenue Des Apothicaires, 34298 Montpellier, France
| | - Jacques Colinge
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier INSERM U1094, ICM, Université de Montpellier, Campus Val d’Aurelle, 208 Avenue Des Apothicaires, 34298 Montpellier, France
| | - Ralph T. Schwarz
- Institute for Virology, Hans-Meerwein-Straße, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Choukri Ben Mamoun
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520 USA
| | - Eric Rivals
- Computational Biology Institute, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141LIRMM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
- grid.510302.5Institut Français de Bioinformatique, CNRS UAR 3601, 2, rue Gaston Crémieux, 91057 Évry, France
| | - Emmanuel Cornillot
- Computational Biology Institute, Campus Saint Priest, 161 Rue Ada, 34095 Montpellier, France
- grid.121334.60000 0001 2097 0141Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier INSERM U1094, ICM, Université de Montpellier, Campus Val d’Aurelle, 208 Avenue Des Apothicaires, 34298 Montpellier, France
- Wespran SAS, 13 Rue de Penthièvre, 75008 Paris, France
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Bai J, Liu F, Yang F, Zhao Y, Jia X, Thongpoon S, Roobsoog W, Sattabongkot J, Zheng L, Cui Z, Zheng W, Cui L, Cao Y. Evaluation of transmission-blocking potential of Pv22 using clinical Plasmodium vivax infections and transgenic Plasmodium berghei. Vaccine 2023; 41:555-563. [PMID: 36503858 PMCID: PMC9812905 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.11.058] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Antigens expressed during the sexual development of malaria parasites are transmission-blocking vaccine (TBV) targets. Pb22, a protein expressed and localized to the plasma membrane of gametes and ookinetes in Plasmodium berghei, is an excellent TBV candidate. Here, we evaluated the TB potential of the Plasmodium vivax ortholog Pv22 using a transgenic P. berghei parasite line and P. vivax clinical isolates. The full-length recombinant Pv22 (rPv22) protein was produced and used to immunize mice and rabbits to obtain antibodies. We generated a transgenic P. berghei line (TrPv22Pb) by inserting the pv22 gene into the pb22 locus and showed that Pv22 expression completely rescued the defects in male gametogenesis of the pb22 deletion parasite. Since Pv22 in the transgenic parasite showed similar expression and localization patterns to Pb22, we used the TrPv22Pb parasite as a surrogate to evaluate the TB potential of Pv22. In mosquito feeding assays, mosquitoes feeding on rPv22-immunized mice infected with TrPv22Pb parasites showed a 49.3-53.3 % reduction in the oocyst density compared to the control group. In vitro assays showed that the rPv22 immune sera significantly inhibited exflagellation and ookinete formation of the TrPv22Pb parasites. In a direct membrane feeding assay using three clinical P. vivax isolates, the rabbit anti-rPv22 antibodies also significantly decreased the oocyst density by 53.7, 30.2, and 26.2 %, respectively. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using transgenic P. berghei parasites expressing P. vivax antigens as a potential tool to evaluate TBV candidates. However, the much weaker TB activity of Pv22 obtained from two complementary assays suggest that Pv22 may not be a promising TBV candidate for P. vivax.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Bai
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yan Zhao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Xitong Jia
- Department of Pathogen Biology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Sataporn Thongpoon
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Thailand
| | - Wanlapa Roobsoog
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Thailand
| | - Jetsumon Sattabongkot
- Mahidol Vivax Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Thailand
| | - Li Zheng
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Zeshi Cui
- College of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Wenqi Zheng
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolian Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Liwang Cui
- Department of Internal Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States.
| | - Yaming Cao
- Department of Immunology, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
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Xu Y, Dong Y, Deng Y, Huang H, Chen M, Liu Y, Wu J, Zhang C, Zheng W. Molecular identification of vivax malaria relapse patients in the Yunnan Province based on homology analysis of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein gene. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:85-96. [PMID: 36334150 PMCID: PMC9816221 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-022-07700-7] [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: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
More than 85% of the malaria burden in the Yunnan Province is caused by imported vivax malaria, and Yunnan is also where the majority of vivax malaria patients are diagnosed in China. Timely removal of the infection sources of Plasmodium vivax and its breeding environment remains the key to eliminating the secondary transmission of imported malaria. To that end, blood samples were collected from cases diagnosed and revalidated as single species infection with P. vivax in the Yunnan Province from 2013 to 2020. Specifically, samples from vivax malaria patients with suspected relapses episodes were subjected to PCR amplification, product sequencing, and analysis of the P. vivax circumsporozoite protein (pvcsp) gene. In total, 77 suspected relapse patients were identified out of 2484 cases infected with P. vivax, with a total of 81 recurrent episodes. A total of 156 CDS (coding DNA sequence) chains were obtained through PCR amplification and sequencing of the pvcsp gene from 159 blood samples, 121 of which can be matched to the paired sequences of 59 vivax malaria patients with both primary attack and recurrent experience. Of the 59 pairs of pvcsp gene sequences, every one of 31 pairs showed only one haplotype and no variant sites (VS), meaning every two paired sequence was completely homologous. Every one of the remaining 28 paired sequences had two haplotypes but no length polymorphism, indicating that the paired sequences was "weakly heterologous" with no fragment insertions (or deletions). All 59 vivax malaria patients with recurrences were caused by the activation of P. vivax hypnozoites originated from the same population as the primary infection. The paired analysis of the similarity between high variant genes allowed the identification of relapse episodes caused by P. vivax homologous hypnozoites and also demonstrated pvcsp gene as one of the candidate molecular markers for tracing infection origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanchun Xu
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-Borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan Centre of Malaria Research, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Ying Dong
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-Borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan Centre of Malaria Research, Pu'er, 665000, China.
| | - Yan Deng
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-Borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan Centre of Malaria Research, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Herong Huang
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical College of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230031, China
| | - Mengni Chen
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-Borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan Centre of Malaria Research, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-Borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan Centre of Malaria Research, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-Borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan Centre of Malaria Research, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Canglin Zhang
- Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases Control, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Vector-Borne Diseases Control and Research, Yunnan Centre of Malaria Research, Pu'er, 665000, China
| | - Webi Zheng
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Baoshan, 678000, China.
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Trimarsanto H, Amato R, Pearson RD, Sutanto E, Noviyanti R, Trianty L, Marfurt J, Pava Z, Echeverry DF, Lopera-Mesa TM, Montenegro LM, Tobón-Castaño A, Grigg MJ, Barber B, William T, Anstey NM, Getachew S, Petros B, Aseffa A, Assefa A, Rahim AG, Chau NH, Hien TT, Alam MS, Khan WA, Ley B, Thriemer K, Wangchuck S, Hamedi Y, Adam I, Liu Y, Gao Q, Sriprawat K, Ferreira MU, Laman M, Barry A, Mueller I, Lacerda MVG, Llanos-Cuentas A, Krudsood S, Lon C, Mohammed R, Yilma D, Pereira DB, Espino FEJ, Chu CS, Vélez ID, Namaik-Larp C, Villegas MF, Green JA, Koh G, Rayner JC, Drury E, Gonçalves S, Simpson V, Miotto O, Miles A, White NJ, Nosten F, Kwiatkowski DP, Price RN, Auburn S. A molecular barcode and web-based data analysis tool to identify imported Plasmodium vivax malaria. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1411. [PMID: 36564617 PMCID: PMC9789135 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04352-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Traditionally, patient travel history has been used to distinguish imported from autochthonous malaria cases, but the dormant liver stages of Plasmodium vivax confound this approach. Molecular tools offer an alternative method to identify, and map imported cases. Using machine learning approaches incorporating hierarchical fixation index and decision tree analyses applied to 799 P. vivax genomes from 21 countries, we identified 33-SNP, 50-SNP and 55-SNP barcodes (GEO33, GEO50 and GEO55), with high capacity to predict the infection's country of origin. The Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) for an existing, commonly applied 38-SNP barcode (BR38) exceeded 0.80 in 62% countries. The GEO panels outperformed BR38, with median MCCs > 0.80 in 90% countries at GEO33, and 95% at GEO50 and GEO55. An online, open-access, likelihood-based classifier framework was established to support data analysis (vivaxGEN-geo). The SNP selection and classifier methods can be readily amended for other use cases to support malaria control programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidayat Trimarsanto
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Roberto Amato
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Edwin Sutanto
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
- Exeins Health Initiative, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | | | - Leily Trianty
- Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Jutta Marfurt
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Zuleima Pava
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Diego F Echeverry
- International Training and Medical Research Center (CIDEIM), Cali, Colombia
- Departamento de Microbiología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
- Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
| | | | | | | | - Matthew J Grigg
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Bridget Barber
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Timothy William
- Infectious Diseases Society Sabah-Menzies School of Health Research Clinical Research Unit, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
- Clinical Research Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Sabah, Malaysia
| | - Nicholas M Anstey
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Sisay Getachew
- College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Beyene Petros
- College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Abraham Aseffa
- Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | | | - Awab G Rahim
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Nangarhar Medical Faculty, Nangarhar University, Ministry of Higher Education, Jalalabad, Afghanistan
| | - Nguyen H Chau
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Tran T Hien
- Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Mohammad S Alam
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Wasif A Khan
- Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrheal Diseases Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Benedikt Ley
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Kamala Thriemer
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
| | - Sonam Wangchuck
- Royal Center for Disease Control, Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Thimphu, Bhutan
| | - Yaghoob Hamedi
- Infectious and Tropical Diseases Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, Iran
| | - Ishag Adam
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Yaobao Liu
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China
- School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qi Gao
- National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory on Parasite and Vector Control Technology, Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Wuxi, China
| | - Kanlaya Sriprawat
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
| | - Marcelo U Ferreira
- Department of Parasitology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, NOVA University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Moses Laman
- Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Madang, Papua New Guinea
| | - Alyssa Barry
- Deakin University, Victoria, Australia
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Marcus V G Lacerda
- Fundação de Medicina Tropical, Manaus, Brazil
- Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | | | - Chanthap Lon
- Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | | | - Fe E J Espino
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Manilla, Philippines
| | - Cindy S Chu
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
| | - Iván D Vélez
- Malaria Group, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia
| | | | | | | | | | - Julian C Rayner
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eleanor Drury
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sónia Gonçalves
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Victoria Simpson
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Olivo Miotto
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Alistair Miles
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicholas J White
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Francois Nosten
- Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Ric N Price
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sarah Auburn
- Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research and Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT, Australia.
- Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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Hazzard B, Sá JM, Ellis AC, Pascini TV, Amin S, Wellems TE, Serre D. Long read single cell RNA sequencing reveals the isoform diversity of Plasmodium vivax transcripts. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010991. [PMID: 36525464 PMCID: PMC9803293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Plasmodium vivax infections often consist of heterogenous populations of parasites at different developmental stages and with distinct transcriptional profiles, which complicates gene expression analyses. The advent of single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) enabled disentangling this complexity and has provided robust and stage-specific characterization of Plasmodium gene expression. However, scRNA-seq information is typically derived from the end of each mRNA molecule (usually the 3'-end) and therefore fails to capture the diversity in transcript isoforms documented in bulk RNA-seq data. Here, we describe the sequencing of scRNA-seq libraries using Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) chemistry to characterize full-length Plasmodium vivax transcripts from single cell parasites. Our results show that many P. vivax genes are transcribed into multiple isoforms, primarily through variations in untranslated region (UTR) length or splicing, and that the expression of many isoforms is developmentally regulated. Our findings demonstrate that long read sequencing can be used to characterize mRNA molecules at the single cell level and provides an additional resource to better understand the regulation of gene expression throughout the Plasmodium life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany Hazzard
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Juliana M. Sá
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Angela C. Ellis
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Tales V. Pascini
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Shuchi Amin
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Thomas E. Wellems
- Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David Serre
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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Carlton JM, Eapen A, Kessler A, Anvikar AR, Hoffmann A, Singh OP, Sullivan SA, Albert S, Sahu PK, Mohanty S, Wassmer SC. Advances in Basic and Translational Research as Part of the Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2022; 107:97-106. [PMID: 36228919 PMCID: PMC9662212 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-1333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
The Center for the Study of Complex Malaria in India (CSCMi) is one of 10 International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2010. The Center combines innovative research with capacity building and technology transfer to undertake studies with clinical and translational impact that will move malaria control in India toward the ultimate goal of malaria elimination/eradication. A key element of each research site in the four states of India (Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Odisha, and Meghalaya) has been undertaking community- and clinic-based epidemiology projects to characterize the burden of malaria in the region. Demographic and clinical data and samples collected during these studies have been used in downstream projects on, for example, the widespread use of mosquito repellants, the population genomics of Plasmodium vivax, and the serological responses to P. vivax and Plasmodium falciparum antigens that reflect past or present exposure. A focus has been studying the pathogenesis of severe malaria caused by P. falciparum through magnetic resonance imaging of cerebral malaria patients. Here we provide a snapshot of some of the basic and applied research the CSCMi has undertaken over the past 12 years and indicate the further research and/or clinical and translational impact these studies have had.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane M. Carlton
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, New York
- Address correspondence to Jane M. Carlton, Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, New York University, 12 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003. E-mail:
| | - Alex Eapen
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, IDVC Field Unit, National Institute of Epidemiology Campus, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Anne Kessler
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York
| | - Anupkumar R. Anvikar
- National Institute of Biologicals, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Angelika Hoffmann
- University Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, University Hospital Bern, University of Bern, Switzerland
| | - Om P. Singh
- National Institute of Malaria Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, Dwarka, Delhi, India
| | - Steven A. Sullivan
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, New York
| | - Sandra Albert
- Indian Institute of Public Health Shillong, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
- Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
| | - Praveen K. Sahu
- Department of Molecular and Infectious Diseases, Community Welfare Society Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Sanjib Mohanty
- Department of Molecular and Infectious Diseases, Community Welfare Society Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India
| | - Samuel C. Wassmer
- Department of Infection Biology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Botnar A, Lawrence G, Maher SP, Vantaux A, Witkowski B, Shiau JC, Merino EF, De Vore D, Yang C, Murray C, Cassera MB, Leahy JW, Kyle DE. Alkyne modified purines for assessment of activation of Plasmodium vivax hypnozoites and growth of pre-erythrocytic and erythrocytic stages in Plasmodium spp. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:733-744. [PMID: 35447149 PMCID: PMC9576819 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Malaria is a major global health problem which predominantly afflicts developing countries. Although many antimalarial therapies are currently available, the protozoan parasite causing this disease, Plasmodium spp., continues to evade eradication efforts. One biological phenomenon hampering eradication efforts is the parasite's ability to arrest development, transform into a drug-insensitive form, and then resume growth post-therapy. Currently, the mechanisms by which the parasite enters arrested development, or dormancy, and later recrudesces or reactivates to continue development, are unknown and the malaria field lacks techniques to study these elusive mechanisms. Since Plasmodium spp. salvage purines for DNA synthesis, we hypothesised that alkyne-containing purine nucleosides could be used to develop a DNA synthesis marker which could be used to investigate mechanisms behind dormancy. Using copper-catalysed click chemistry methods, we observe incorporation of alkyne modified adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine in actively replicating asexual blood stages of Plasmodium falciparum and incorporation of modified adenosine in actively replicating liver stage schizonts of Plasmodium vivax. Notably, these modified purines were not incorporated in dormant liver stage hypnozoites, suggesting this marker could be used as a tool to differentiate replicating and non-replicating liver forms and, more broadly, as a tool for advancing our understanding of Plasmodium dormancy mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alona Botnar
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States; Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Grant Lawrence
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Steven P Maher
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Amélie Vantaux
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Pasteur Institute of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Benoît Witkowski
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Pasteur Institute of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Justine C Shiau
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States; Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Emilio F Merino
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - David De Vore
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Christian Yang
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Cameron Murray
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Maria B Cassera
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - James W Leahy
- Department of Chemistry, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States; The Florida Center for Excellence for Drug Discovery and Innovation, University of South Florida, Tampa, GA, United States; Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, GA, United States
| | - Dennis E Kyle
- Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States; Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States; Department of Cellular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.
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49
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Ruberto AA, Maher SP, Vantaux A, Joyner CJ, Bourke C, Balan B, Jex A, Mueller I, Witkowski B, Kyle DE. Single-cell RNA profiling of Plasmodium vivax-infected hepatocytes reveals parasite- and host- specific transcriptomic signatures and therapeutic targets. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:986314. [PMID: 36093191 PMCID: PMC9453201 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.986314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The resilience of Plasmodium vivax, the most widely-distributed malaria-causing parasite in humans, is attributed to its ability to produce dormant liver forms known as hypnozoites, which can activate weeks, months, or even years after an initial mosquito bite. The factors underlying hypnozoite formation and activation are poorly understood, as is the parasite's influence on the host hepatocyte. Here, we shed light on transcriptome-wide signatures of both the parasite and the infected host cell by sequencing over 1,000 P. vivax-infected hepatocytes at single-cell resolution. We distinguish between replicating schizonts and hypnozoites at the transcriptional level, identifying key differences in transcripts encoding for RNA-binding proteins associated with cell fate. In infected hepatocytes, we show that genes associated with energy metabolism and antioxidant stress response are upregulated, and those involved in the host immune response downregulated, suggesting both schizonts and hypnozoites alter the host intracellular environment. The transcriptional markers in schizonts, hypnozoites, and infected hepatocytes revealed here pinpoint potential factors underlying dormancy and can inform therapeutic targets against P. vivax liver-stage infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony A. Ruberto
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Steven P. Maher
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Amélie Vantaux
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Chester J. Joyner
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
- Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Caitlin Bourke
- Population Health & Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Balu Balan
- Population Health & Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Aaron Jex
- Population Health & Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Population Health & Immunity Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Benoit Witkowski
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Dennis E. Kyle
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
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50
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Ruberto AA, Bourke C, Vantaux A, Maher SP, Jex A, Witkowski B, Snounou G, Mueller I. Single-cell RNA sequencing of Plasmodium vivax sporozoites reveals stage- and species-specific transcriptomic signatures. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010633. [PMID: 35926062 PMCID: PMC9380936 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Plasmodium vivax sporozoites reside in the salivary glands of a mosquito before infecting a human host and causing malaria. Previous transcriptome-wide studies in populations of these parasite forms were limited in their ability to elucidate cell-to-cell variation, thereby masking cellular states potentially important in understanding malaria transmission outcomes. Methodology/Principal findings In this study, we performed transcription profiling on 9,947 P. vivax sporozoites to assess the extent to which they differ at single-cell resolution. We show that sporozoites residing in the mosquito’s salivary glands exist in distinct developmental states, as defined by their transcriptomic signatures. Additionally, relative to P. falciparum, P. vivax displays overlapping and unique gene usage patterns, highlighting conserved and species-specific gene programs. Notably, distinguishing P. vivax from P. falciparum were a subset of P. vivax sporozoites expressing genes associated with translational regulation and repression. Finally, our comparison of single-cell transcriptomic data from P. vivax sporozoite and erythrocytic forms reveals gene usage patterns unique to sporozoites. Conclusions/Significance In defining the transcriptomic signatures of individual P. vivax sporozoites, our work provides new insights into the factors driving their developmental trajectory and lays the groundwork for a more comprehensive P. vivax cell atlas. Plasmodium vivax is the second most common cause of malaria worldwide. It is particularly challenging for malaria elimination as it forms both active blood-stage infections, as well as asymptomatic liver-stage infections that can persist for extended periods of time. The activation of persister forms in the liver (hypnozoites) are responsible for relapsing infections occurring weeks or months following primary infection via a mosquito bite. How P. vivax persists in the liver remains a major gap in understanding of this organism. It has been hypothesized that there is pre-programming of the infectious sporozoite while it is in the salivary-glands that determines if the cell’s fate once in the liver is to progress towards immediate liver stage development or persist for long-periods as a hypnozoite. The aim of this study was to see if such differences were distinguishable at the transcript level in salivary-gland sporozoites. While we found significant variation amongst sporozoites, we did not find clear evidence that they are transcriptionally pre-programmed as has been suggested. Nevertheless, we highlight several intriguing patterns that appear to be P. vivax specific relative to non-relapsing species that cause malaria prompting further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony A. Ruberto
- Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Caitlin Bourke
- Division of Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Amélie Vantaux
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
| | - Steven P. Maher
- Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Aaron Jex
- Division of Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Benoit Witkowski
- Malaria Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia
| | - Georges Snounou
- Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives-Université Paris Sud 11-INSERM U1184, Immunology of Viral Infections and Autoimmune Diseases (IMVA-HB), Infectious Disease Models and Innovative Therapies (IDMIT) Department, Institut de Biologie François Jacob (IBFJ), Direction de la Recherche Fondamentale (DRF), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France
| | - Ivo Mueller
- Department of Parasites and Insect Vectors, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Division of Population Health and Immunity, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
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