Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.1
2.9
Journals
TropicalMed
Special Issues
Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies
share announcement

Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies

A special issue of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (ISSN 2414-6366). This special issue belongs to the section "Infectious Diseases".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2023) | Viewed by 9236

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Che Julius Ngwa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Cellular and Applied Infection Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074 Aachen, Germany
Interests: malaria; gametocytes; epigenetics; drug screening; gene regulation
Dr. Nigel Aminake Makoah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
Interests: zoonotic viruses; tick-borne viruses; public health; disease outbreaks; surveillance; preparedness; vaccine; immunotherapeutic; advanced diagnostics; vector control strategies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Malaria remains one of the deadliest tropical diseases with over 241 million infections and 627 000 deaths in 2020. Malaria tropica caused by Plasmodium falciparum results in the most severe form. Complete eradication of the disease is being hampered by the rapid development of drug-resistant parasites against frontline anti-malarial drugs as well as the lack of a highly effective vaccine. A better understanding of the biology of the parasite is needed in order to develop novel strategies for malaria intervention.

In this Special Issue entitled “Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies”, we invite manuscripts from researchers in the field in the form of reviews or original articles on the topic, including but not limited to drug discovery, pathogenesis, immune evasion, gene regulation and epigenetics.  Our aim of this issue is to provide a better understanding of the biology of P. falciparum to enable the development of novel intervention strategies.

Dr. Che Julius Ngwa
Dr. Nigel Aminake Makoah
Guest Editors

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. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2700 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.

Keywords

  • plasmodium falciparum
  • drug screening
  • pathogenesis
  • immune evasions
  • gene regulation
  • epigenetics

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

14 pages, 1191 KiB  
Article
Effects of Age, Gender and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection on Prevalence of Plasmodium Infection among Population Living in Bata District, Equatorial Guinea
by Gertrudis R. Meñe, Maxmillian G. Mpina, Alejandro Lopelo, Elizabeth L. Nyakarungu, José Raso Bijeri, Antonio Martin Elo Elo, Florentino Abaga Ondo, Guillermo A. Garcia, Wonder P. Phiri, Ali Mohamed Ali, Jean Claude Dejon Agobé, Ayola Akim Adegnika and Salim M. Abdulla
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2023, 8(3), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed8030149 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1784
Abstract
Introduction: Malaria and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) co-infection is an important parasitic infection affecting populations in co-endemic countries including Equatorial Guinea. To date, the health impact of STH and malaria co-infection is inconclusive. The current study aimed to report the malaria and STH infection [...] Read more.
Introduction: Malaria and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) co-infection is an important parasitic infection affecting populations in co-endemic countries including Equatorial Guinea. To date, the health impact of STH and malaria co-infection is inconclusive. The current study aimed to report the malaria and STH infection epidemiology in the continental region of Equatorial Guinea. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study between October 2020 and January 2021 in the Bata district of Equatorial Guinea. Participants aged 1–9 years, 10–17 years and above 18 were recruited. Fresh venous blood was collected for malaria testing via mRDTs and light microscopy. Stool specimens were collected, and the Kato–Katz technique was used to detect the presence of Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, hookworm spp. and intestinal Schistosoma eggs. Results: A total of 402 participants were included in this study. An amount of 44.3% of them lived in urban areas, and only 51.9% of them reported having bed nets. Malaria infections were detected in 34.8% of the participants, while 50% of malaria infections were reported in children aged 10–17 years. Females had a lower prevalence of malaria (28.8%) compared with males (41.7%). Children of 1–9 years carried more gametocytes compared with other age groups. An amount of 49.3% of the participants infected with T. trichiura had malaria parasites compared with those infected with A. lumbricoides (39.6%) or both (46.8%). Conclusions: The overlapping problem of STH and malaria is neglected in Bata. The current study forces the government and other stakeholders involved in the fight against malaria and STH to consider a combined control program strategy for both parasitic infections in Equatorial Guinea. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 1447 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Chiral Organosulfur Compounds on Their Activity against the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum
by Che Julius Ngwa, Rabea Stratmann, Jean Pierre Musabyimana, Kristina Pannen, Jan-Hendrik Schöbel, Marcus Frings, Ingo Schiffers, Calogero Quaranta, Steffen Koschmieder, Nicolas Chatain, Gabriele Pradel and Carsten Bolm
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(12), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7120416 - 03 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1711
Abstract
Malaria is one of the deadliest tropical diseases, especially causing havoc in children under the age of five in Africa. Although the disease is treatable, the rapid development of drug resistant parasites against frontline drugs requires the search for novel antimalarials. In this [...] Read more.
Malaria is one of the deadliest tropical diseases, especially causing havoc in children under the age of five in Africa. Although the disease is treatable, the rapid development of drug resistant parasites against frontline drugs requires the search for novel antimalarials. In this study, we tested a series of organosulfur compounds from our internal library for their antiplasmodial effect against Plasmodium falciparum asexual and sexual blood stages. Some active compounds were also obtained in enantiomerically pure form and tested individually against asexual blood stages of the parasite to compare their activity. Out of the 23 tested compounds, 7 compounds (1, 2, 5, 9, 15, 16, and 17) exhibited high antimalarial activity, with IC50 values in the range from 2.2 ± 0.64 to 5.2 ± 1.95 µM, while the other compounds showed moderate to very low activity. The most active compounds also exhibited high activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain, reduced gametocyte development and were not toxic to non-infected red blood cells and Hela cells, as well as the hematopoietic HEL cell line at concentrations below 50 µM. To determine if the enantiomers of the active compounds display different antimalarial activity, enantiomers of two of the active compounds were separated and their antimalarial activity compared. The results show a higher activity of the (–) enantiomers as compared to their (+) counterparts. Our combined data indicate that organosulfur compounds could be exploited as antimalarial drugs and enantiomers of the active compounds may represent a good starting point for the design of novel drugs to target malaria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 1533 KiB  
Article
Leukocyte and IgM Responses to Immunization with the CIDR1α-PfEMP1 Recombinant Protein in the Wistar Rat
by Erma Sulistyaningsih, Renaldi Wibisono and Rosita Dewi
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(9), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7090222 - 02 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1498
Abstract
The malaria vaccine is an important strategy for the global malaria elimination program, but the complexity of the Plasmodium antigen is a major hurdle in malaria vaccine development. The cysteine-rich interdomain region 1α (CIDR1α) of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is [...] Read more.
The malaria vaccine is an important strategy for the global malaria elimination program, but the complexity of the Plasmodium antigen is a major hurdle in malaria vaccine development. The cysteine-rich interdomain region 1α (CIDR1α) of Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) is crucial in malaria pathogenesis, making it a vaccine candidate. This study investigated the leukocyte and IgM response generated after administering a CIDR1α-PfEMP1 recombinant protein injection in Wistar rats. The rats were divided into a control group, who received a physiological saline solution (PSS), and a treatment group, who were subcutaneously injected with 150 µg of purified CIDR1α-PfEMP1 protein three times at the 3-week interval. Blood samples were collected every week after each injection. The number of leukocytes were counted using a Neubauer chamber, and the IgM concentration was determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data were analyzed using an independent, paired-T test, a Mann–Whitney test, and a Wilcoxon test, based on the distribution of the data. The total number of leukocytes notably increased on day 29 (p < 0.05). The percentage of neutrophils decreased, especially on day 8 (p < 0.05), whereas the percentages of monocytes and lymphocytes increased, primarily on day 14 (p < 0.05). The IgM concentration increased on day 14 (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the CIDR1α-PfEMP1 recombinant protein may induce leukocyte and IgM responses, making it a potential malaria vaccine candidate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

10 pages, 266 KiB  
Article
Difference between Microscopic and PCR Examination Result for Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment Evaluation in Sumba Barat Daya, Indonesia
by Dwita Anastasia Deo, Elizabeth Henny Herningtyas, Umi Solekhah Intansari, Taufik Mulya Perdana, Elsa Herdiana Murhandarwati and Marsetyawan H. N. E. Soesatyo
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(8), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7080153 - 29 Jul 2022
Viewed by 1611
Abstract
Microscopic examination is the backbone of malaria diagnosis and treatment evaluation in Indonesia. This test has limited ability to detect malaria at low parasite density. Inversely, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can detect parasites at a density below the microscopic examination’s detection limit. [...] Read more.
Microscopic examination is the backbone of malaria diagnosis and treatment evaluation in Indonesia. This test has limited ability to detect malaria at low parasite density. Inversely, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can detect parasites at a density below the microscopic examination’s detection limit. The objective of this study is to compare microscopic and PCR results when being used to identify malaria in suspected patients and patients who underwent dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine (DHP) therapy in the last 3–8 weeks with or without symptoms in Sumba Barat Daya, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Indonesia. Recruitment was conducted between April 2019 and February 2020. Blood samples were then taken for microscopic and PCR examinations. Participants (n = 409) were divided into three groups: suspected malaria (42.5%), post-DHP therapy with fever (4.9%), and post-DHP therapy without fever (52.6%). Microscopic examination found five cases of P. falciparum + P. vivax infection, while PCR found 346 cases. All microscopic examinations turned negative in the post-DHP-therapy group. Conversely, PCR result from the same group yielded 29 negative results. Overall, our study showed that microscopic examination and PCR generated different results in detecting Plasmodium species, especially in patients with mixed infection and in patients who recently underwent DHP therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies)
12 pages, 277 KiB  
Article
Determinants of Patients’ Adherence to Malaria Treatment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
by Nsengi Y. Ntamabyaliro, Christian Burri, Yves N. Lula, Didier B. Nzolo, Aline B. Engo, Mireille A. Ngale, Hippolyte N. Situakibanza, Eric S. Mukomena, Gauthier K. Mesia, Samuel M. Mampunza and Gaston L. Tona
Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. 2022, 7(7), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed7070138 - 18 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1732
Abstract
(1) Background: Malaria heavily affects the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) despite the use of effective drugs. Poor adherence to malaria treatment may contribute to this problem. (2) Methods: In one rural and one urban health area in each of the 11 [...] Read more.
(1) Background: Malaria heavily affects the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) despite the use of effective drugs. Poor adherence to malaria treatment may contribute to this problem. (2) Methods: In one rural and one urban health area in each of the 11 former provinces of the DRC, all households with a case of malaria in the 15 days preceding the survey were selected and the patients or caregivers were interviewed. Adherence to malaria treatment was assessed by self-declaration about its completion. Logistic regression was used to assess predictors. (3) Results: 1732 households participated. Quinine was the most used drug; adherence to artesunate–amodiaquine was the lowest and the main reason for treatment discontinuation was adverse reactions. Predictors of adherence were residence in an urban area, university education, catholic religion, and adoption of recommended behaviour towards a malaria case. Adherence was significantly lower for responders who obtained information on antimalarials from Community Health Workers (CHW). (4) Conclusions: Usage of recommended drugs and adherence to malaria treatment need to be promoted, especially in rural areas, and CHW involvement needs to be improved. Awareness messages need to be made accessible and comprehensible to poorly educated populations and churches need to be involved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasmodium falciparum: From Biology to Intervention Strategies)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop