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Diagnostics
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Diagnosis and Management of Malaria
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Diagnosis and Management of Malaria

A special issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418). This special issue belongs to the section "Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2023) | Viewed by 11648

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rachida Tahar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MERIT, IRD, Université de Paris, 75006 Paris, France
Interests: infectious disease epidemiology; drug resistance; genetic engineering; malaria; falciparum; parasitology; infectious diseases

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Malaria remains a heavy burden on people living in endemic areas, with an increase in global mortality to 627,000 in 2020 compared to 405,000 registered in 2019, compromising the effort made by the global fund interventions over the last two decades which had decreased mortality by 5-fold. A total of 12% of the increase has been attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic consequences. The case fatality rate occurs among African children with severe and cerebral malaria, but non-immune travellers and adults living in seasonal transmission regions are also at risk of death from malaria. The parasite causes several clinical manifestations ranging from mild infections to life-threatening severe malaria, including cerebral malaria, with Plasmodium falciparum considered to be the deadliest species as well as P. knowlesi. The resistance of parasites to anti-malarials and vector mosquitoes to insecticides combined with the COVID-19 pandemic is impeding the control of the disease, leading to an unknown situation. In this context, the development of novel malaria tools for diagnosis, biomarkers for the prognostics of severe disease, its progression and immunity status, surveillance, case management and treatment including adjunct therapies is essential to develop integrated tools to control malaria. Therefore, this Special Issue will focus on research reporting on these topics with the objective to publish high-quality original or review articles as well as short communications. We encourage researchers and clinicians to submit their work on: identification of new tools for the diagnosis of malaria infection and pathology including biological markers such as human or parasite proteins, microRNA, haemozoin and other molecules for prognosis and imaging and biophysics methods; outcomes of severe case management and clinical trials; deciphering the pathogenesis mechanisms of severe malaria in animal models; investigation of haemoglobinopathy genetic disorders during malaria; characterisation of haematopoiesis in the context of malaria.

Dr. Rachida Tahar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diagnostics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1827 KiB  
Article
High Plasma Levels of Neopterin Are Associated with Increased Mortality among Children with Severe Malaria in Benin
by Samuel Odarkwei Blankson, Lauriane Rietmeyer, Patrick Tettey, Liliane Dikroh, Bernard Tornyigah, Rafiou Adamou, Azizath Moussiliou, Caroline Padounou, Annick Amoussou, Benedicta Ayiedu Mensah, Maroufou J. Alao, Gordon Awandare, Nicaise Tuikue Ndam, Christian Roussilhon and Rachida Tahar
Diagnostics 2023, 13(3), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics13030528 - 31 Jan 2023
Viewed by 1529
Abstract
Among the barriers to accessing adequate treatment and high-level monitoring for malaria febrile patients is the lack of effective prognostic markers. Neopterin, which is a marker of monocyte/macrophage activation, was found have increased during severe malaria. In this study, we used quantitative ELISA [...] Read more.
Among the barriers to accessing adequate treatment and high-level monitoring for malaria febrile patients is the lack of effective prognostic markers. Neopterin, which is a marker of monocyte/macrophage activation, was found have increased during severe malaria. In this study, we used quantitative ELISA in order to assess the levels of plasma soluble neopterin in 151 patients from a cohort of Beninese children with severe malaria. We evaluated the prognostic accuracy of this molecule in order to predict the outcome of the disease. Our results show that neopterin levels were not significantly different between patients with different forms of severe malaria, including severe non-cerebral malaria (SNCM) and cerebral malaria (CM). However, the levels of this molecule were found to be higher in patients with severe malarial anemia (SMA) among both CM and SNCM cases (p-value = 0.02). Additionally, the levels of this molecule were found to be higher in patients who died from these pathologies compared to those who survived among the two clinical groups (p-value < 0.0001) and within the same group (p-value < 0.0001 for the CM group, p-value = 0.0046 for the SNCM group). The AUC-ROC for fatality among all the severe cases was 0.77 with a 95%CI of (0.69–0.85). These results suggest that plasma neopterin levels constitute a potential biomarker for predicting fatality among severe falciparum malaria patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Malaria)
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9 pages, 409 KiB  
Article
Assessment of a Commercial Real-Time PCR Assay (Vitassay qPCR Malaria 5 Test) to Detect Human Malaria Infection in Travelers Returning to France
by Marylin Madamet, Rémy Amalvict, Nicolas Benoit, French National Reference Centre for Imported Malaria Study Group and Bruno Pradines
Diagnostics 2022, 12(11), 2747; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12112747 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1316
Abstract
Malaria is the most common human parasitic disease in the world with the highest morbidity and mortality. Due to the severity of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum and the urgency of therapeutic management, quick and reliable diagnosis is required for early detection. Blood [...] Read more.
Malaria is the most common human parasitic disease in the world with the highest morbidity and mortality. Due to the severity of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum and the urgency of therapeutic management, quick and reliable diagnosis is required for early detection. Blood smear microscopy remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis. Molecular diagnosis techniques are the most sensitive and specific in cases of low parasitaemia and in the detection of mixed infections. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new commercial test involving the molecular diagnostic technique to detect the five human Plasmodium species. The Vitassay qPCR Malaria 5 test is based on the multiplex real-time PCR of a conserved target region of the 18S rRNA gene for the five human Plasmodium species. A total of 190 samples collected from imported cases of malaria were diagnosed using this test and compared against a homemade reference real-time PCR. The sensitivities of the Vitassay qPCR Malaria 5 test for all Plasmodium species ranged from 93.8% to 100% and specificity ranged from 97.7% to 100%. Based on these criteria, this test is recommended for the diagnosis of the human Plasmodium species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Malaria)
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8 pages, 278 KiB  
Article
Comparative Assessment of the Sensitivity of Ten Commercial Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits for the Detection of Plasmodium
by Mathieu Gendrot, Marylin Madamet, Isabelle Fonta, Nicolas Benoit, Rémy Amalvict, Joel Mosnier, French National Reference Centre for Imported Malaria Study Group and Bruno Pradines
Diagnostics 2022, 12(9), 2240; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12092240 - 16 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1648
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most common tropical diseases encountered by members of the French military who are deployed in operations under constrained conditions in malaria-endemic areas. Blood smear microscopy—the gold standard for malaria diagnosis—is often not available in such settings, where the [...] Read more.
Malaria is one of the most common tropical diseases encountered by members of the French military who are deployed in operations under constrained conditions in malaria-endemic areas. Blood smear microscopy—the gold standard for malaria diagnosis—is often not available in such settings, where the detection of malaria relies on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Ten RDTs (from Biosynex, Carestart, Humasis, SD Bioline, and CTK Biotech), based on the detection of the Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2) or lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH, PfLDH, or PvLDH), were assessed against 159 samples collected from imported malaria cases, including 79 P. falciparum, 37 P. vivax, 22 P. ovale, and 21 P. malariae parasites. Samples had been previously characterised using microscopy and real-time PCR. The overall sensitivities for the Plasmodium test ranged from 69.8% (111/159) to 95% (151/159). There was no significant difference for the specific detection of P. falciparum (96.2% to 98.7%, p = 0.845). No significant difference was found between sensitivities to P. vivax by pan LDH or pvLDH (81.1% (30/37) to 94.6% (35/37) (p = 0.845)). Some of the RDTs missed most of P. ovale and P. malariae, with sensitivities for all RDTs ranging respectively from 4.5% (1/22) to 81.8% (18/22) and 14.3% (3/21) to 95.2% (20/21). Carestart Malaria Pf/Pan (pLDH) Ag G0121, a pLDH-based RDT (PfLDH and pLDH), showed the highest sensitivities to P. falciparum (98.7%, 78/79), P. vivax (94.6%, 35/37), P. ovale (81.8%, 18/22), and P. malariae (95.2%, 20/21) and meets the requirements for military deployments in malaria-endemic areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Malaria)
11 pages, 2544 KiB  
Article
Plasmodium malariae Detected by Microscopy in the International Bordering Area of Mizoram, a Northeastern State of India
by Kuldeep Singh, Praveen Kumar Bharti, Naorem Chaoba Devi, Naseem Ahmed and Amit Sharma
Diagnostics 2022, 12(8), 2015; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12082015 - 20 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2865
Abstract
Northeastern states of India share international borders with Myanmar, China, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, contributing 7.45% of the overall malaria cases in the country. Mizoram accounts for the highest malaria burden in the northeastern states, with perennial transmission in the hilly and deep-forested areas. [...] Read more.
Northeastern states of India share international borders with Myanmar, China, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, contributing 7.45% of the overall malaria cases in the country. Mizoram accounts for the highest malaria burden in the northeastern states, with perennial transmission in the hilly and deep-forested areas. Plasmodium falciparum (93%) is the most prevalent human Plasmodium species, followed by P. vivax; however, information on P. ovale and P. malariae is negligible. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are the most preferred malaria diagnostic tool followed by microscopy in this high malaria-endemic region. The present epidemiological study was carried out in July and August 2019 to assess the malaria burden in and around the Chawngte primary health center, Lawngtlai District of Mizoram, using RDTs and microscopy as diagnostic tools. World Health Organization-certified level I microscopists examined the blood smears. Diagnosis using RDTs resulted in 151 malaria cases (P. falciparum: 136; P. vivax: 15) out of 948 screened fever cases. However, blood smear examination detected 179 cases (P. falciparum: 154; P. vivax: 17; mixed P. falciparum + P. vivax infection: 3; P. malariae: 5). Analysis revealed that the risk of malaria infection was higher in the ≥5-year-old subjects than in the under-5 age group. The mean parasite density of P. malariae (1455.00/μL blood) was the lowest; cf. with P. falciparum: 12,275.08/μL blood. Surveillance at the point-of-care level using microscopy was able to detect all the four human Plasmodium species and their mixed infections, including P. malariae, which were missed with RDTs. Thus, the quality of microscopy along with trained manpower should be strengthened to diagnose all human malaria parasite species (particularly P. malariae and P. ovale) until the molecular tools are deployed at the field level to achieve malaria elimination by 2030. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Malaria)
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15 pages, 1579 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Rapid Diagnostic Test, Microscopy, and Polymerase Chain Reaction for the Detection of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in a Low-Transmission Area, Jazan Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia
by Aymen M. Madkhali, Ahmad Hassn Ghzwani and Hesham M. Al-Mekhlafi
Diagnostics 2022, 12(6), 1485; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12061485 - 17 Jun 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3558
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the performances of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT)—the AllTest Malaria p.f./p.v., microscopy, and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosing Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 400 febrile patients from a low-transmission region (Jazan) in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Diagnostic [...] Read more.
This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the performances of a rapid diagnostic test (RDT)—the AllTest Malaria p.f./p.v., microscopy, and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosing Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 400 febrile patients from a low-transmission region (Jazan) in southwestern Saudi Arabia. Diagnostic performance of all three methods was compared using microscopy and nested PCR as reference methods. Overall, 42 (10.5%), 48 (12.0%), and 57 (14.3%) samples were found positive by microscopy, RDT, and PCR, respectively. With PCR as reference method, the RDT showed higher sensitivity (79% vs. 71.9%), similar specificity (99.1% vs. 99.7%), and better NLR (0.20 vs. 0.27) and area under the curve (89.0% vs. 85.8%) than microscopy. The sensitivity of RDT and microscopy decreased as age increased, and false negatives were associated with low parasite density. In addition, the sensitivity of RDT and microscopy was higher in non-Saudi than in Saudi participants. Against microscopy, both RDT and PCR showed high sensitivity (83.3% vs. 97.6%), specificity (96.4% vs. 95.5%), and NPVs (98.0% vs. 99.7%), but reduced PPVs (72.9% vs. 71.9%), respectively. The results showed that the performance of the AllTest Malaria p.f./p.v RDT was better than that of microscopy in diagnosing P. falciparum malaria among febrile patients in the Jazan region when nested PCR was used as the reference. However, further studies are required to assess malaria diagnostic methods among asymptomatic individuals in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnosis and Management of Malaria)
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