Taking on Plasmodium vivax malaria: A timely and important challenge

Seidlein, Lorenz von; White, Nicholas J.

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003593

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…falciparum malaria has receded in many regions in Asia and South America. In contrast, P. vivax malaria has remained a harder challenge as it responds much more slowly to the established control methods that have driven P. falciparum to near elimination in those areas [32]. In India, a similar trend can be found upon analysis of the incidence of P. falciparum and P. vivax for the past few years (Supplementary Figure S1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Dry Post Wintertime Mass Surveillance Unearths a Huge Burden of P. vivax, and Mixed Infection with P. vivax P. falciparum, a Threat to Malaria Elimination, in Dhalai, Tripura, India

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With India aiming to achieve malaria elimination by 2030, several strategies have been put in place. With that aim, mass surveillance is now being conducted in some malaria-endemic pockets. As dry season mass surveillance has been shown to have its importance in targeting the reservoir, a study was undertaken to assess the parasite load by a sensitive molecular method during one of the mass surveys conducted in the dry winter period. It was executed in two malaria-endemic villages of Dhalai District, Tripura, in northeast India, also reported as P. falciparum predominated area. The present study found an enormous burden of Rapid Diagnostic Test negative malaria cases with P. vivax along with P. vivax and P. falciparum mixed infections during the mass surveillance from febrile and afebrile cases in dry winter months (February 2021–March 2021). Of the total 150 samples tested, 72 (48%) were positive and 78 (52%) negative for malaria by PCR. Out of the 72 positives, 6 (8.33%) were P. falciparum, 40 (55.55%) P. vivax, and 26 (36.11%) mixed infections. Out of 78 malaria negative samples, 6 (7.7%) were with symptoms, while among the total malaria positive, 72 cases 7 (9.8%) were with symptoms, and 65 (90.2%) were asymptomatic. Out of 114 samples tested by both microscopy and PCR, 42 samples turned out to be submicroscopic with 4 P. falciparum, 23 P. vivax, and 15 mixed infections. Although all P. vivax submicroscopic infections were asymptomatic, three P. falciparum cases were found to be febrile. Evidence of malaria transmission was also found in the vectors in the winter month. The study ascertained the use of molecular diagnostic techniques in detecting the actual burden of malaria, especially of P. vivax, in mass surveys. As Jhum cultivators in Tripura are at high risk, screening for the malarial reservoirs in pre-Jhum months can help with malaria control and elimination.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Dry Post Wintertime Mass Surveillance Unearths a Huge Burden of P. vivax, and Mixed Infection with P. vivax P. falciparum, a Threat to Malaria Elimination, in Dhalai, Tripura, India

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Similar to this study, recent interviews with NMCP staff in the Asia-Pacific Region also highlighted the necessity for highly-sensitive RDTs to detect asymptomatic vivax infection, and for quantitative G6PD testing to prescribe single-dose tafenoquine [ 56 ]. Recent studies on malaria elimination and addressing vivax malaria also emphasized the need to strengthen malaria diagnostic capacity at the local level to treat (6) and prevent recrudescence of vivax cases [ 57 ] in low transmission settings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest malaria and prospects for anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis among forest goers: findings from a qualitative study in Thailand

Jongdeepaisal

Khonputsa

Prasert

et al. 2022

Malar J

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Across the Greater Mekong Subregion, malaria remains a dangerous infectious disease, particularly for people who visit forested areas where residual transmission continues. Because vector control measures offer incomplete protection to forest goers, chemoprophylaxis has been suggested as a potential supplementary measure for malaria prevention and control. To implement prophylaxis effectively, additional information is needed to understand forest goers’ activities and their willingness to use malaria prevention measures, including prophylaxis, and how it could be delivered in communities. Drawing on in-depth interviews with forest goers and stakeholders, this article examines the potential acceptability and implementation challenges of malaria prophylaxis for forest goers in northeast Thailand. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with forest goers (n = 11) and stakeholders (n = 16) including healthcare workers, community leaders, and policymakers. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded using NVivo, employing an inductive and deductive approach, for thematic analysis. Results Forest goers were well aware of their (elevated) malaria risk and reported seeking care for malaria from local health care providers. Forest goers and community members have a close relationship with the forest but are not a homogenous group: their place and time-at-risk varied according to their activities and length of stay in the forest. Among stakeholders, the choice and cost of anti-malarial prophylactic regimen—its efficacy, length and complexity, number of tablets, potential side effects, and long-term impact on users—were key considerations for its feasibility. They also expressed concern about adherence to the preventive therapy and potential difficulty treating malaria patients with the same regimen. Prophylaxis was considered a low priority in areas with perceived accessible health system and approaching malaria elimination. Conclusions In the context of multi-drug resistance, there are several considerations for implementing malaria prophylaxis: the need to target forest goers who are at-risk with a clear period of exposure, to ensure continued use of vector control measures and adherence to prophylactic anti-malarials, and to adopt an evidence-based approach to determine an appropriate regimen. Beyond addressing current intervention challenges and managing malaria incidence in low-transmission setting, it is crucial to keep malaria services available and accessible at the village level especially in areas home to highly mobile populations.

show abstract

“…This limitation unquestionably creates a diagnostic complication that unfortunately occurs in areas of the world (e.g., South America) where malaria is caused by P. vivax and by other Plasmodium species, including P. falciparum . In these co-endemic malarial areas, this diagnostic distinction is imperative because of the need to separate the treatment approach for P. falciparum and P. vivax [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Further, the CDC guidelines to treat malaria emphasizes that determination of the infecting Plasmodium species for treatment purposes is critical for four main reasons: first, P. falciparum can cause rapidly progressive severe illness or death, while P. vivax is less likely to cause severe disease.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proteomic Analysis of Urine from Patients with Plasmodium vivax Malaria Unravels a Unique Plasmodium vivax Protein That Is Absent from Plasmodium falciparum

Fantin

Abeijón²,

Pereira³

et al. 2022

TropicalMed

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Five species of Plasmodium cause malaria in humans and two of them, P. vivax and P. falciparum, pose the greatest threat. Rapid antigen detection tests (RADT) have been used for many years to diagnose and distinguish malaria caused by these two parasites. P. falciparum malaria can single-handedly be diagnosed using an RADT, which detects the unique P. falciparum specific histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2). Unfortunately, there is no RADT that can single-handedly diagnose P. vivax malaria because no specific marker of this parasite has yet been described. Here, we report the discovery of a unique P. vivax protein (Vir14, NCBI Reference Sequence: XP_001612449.1) that has no sequence similarity with proteins of P. falciparum and no significant similarities with proteins of other species of Plasmodium. We propose that this protein could be an outstanding candidate molecule for the development of a promising RADT that can single-handedly and specifically diagnose P. vivax malaria.

show abstract

Taking on Plasmodium vivax malaria: A timely and important challenge

Cited by 8 publications

References 19 publications

Dry Post Wintertime Mass Surveillance Unearths a Huge Burden of P. vivax, and Mixed Infection with P. vivax P. falciparum, a Threat to Malaria Elimination, in Dhalai, Tripura, India

Dry Post Wintertime Mass Surveillance Unearths a Huge Burden of P. vivax, and Mixed Infection with P. vivax P. falciparum, a Threat to Malaria Elimination, in Dhalai, Tripura, India

Forest malaria and prospects for anti-malarial chemoprophylaxis among forest goers: findings from a qualitative study in Thailand

Proteomic Analysis of Urine from Patients with Plasmodium vivax Malaria Unravels a Unique Plasmodium vivax Protein That Is Absent from Plasmodium falciparum

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About