scholarly journals Black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas) are natural hosts of Babesia rossi, the virulent causative agent of canine babesiosis in sub-Saharan Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Barend L. Penzhorn ◽  
Ilse Vorster ◽  
Robert F. Harrison-White ◽  
Marinda C. Oosthuizen
Keyword(s):  
Causative Agent ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Canine Babesiosis ◽  
Natural Hosts ◽  
Babesia Rossi ◽  
Canis Mesomelas ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Control of Malaria by Blocking Transmission of Plasmodium

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Johnson Adejoh ◽  
Maxwell O. Egua ◽  
Michael P. Okoh
Keyword(s):  
Causative Agent ◽  
Leukemia Virus ◽  
Plasmodium Species ◽  
Feline Leukemia Virus ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Complex Life Cycle ◽  
Malaria Burden ◽  
Medicinal Value ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Plasmodium Transmission

Malaria is a major global health problem with the greatest burden in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA). Unfortunately, Nigeria accounts for 25 percent of the world’s malaria burden and it accounts for more deaths than HIV/AIDS. The causative agent of malaria is plasmodium species. This paper reviews the current approaches to inhibiting plasmodium transmission, and the phyto active compound currently in use in the sSA (particularly in Nigeria) with the goal to ameliorate the high incidence of malaria and to correlating it with recent progress and scientific understanding. Using search engines, several databases including Google scholar, Pub Med, Academic Resource Index, Scopus, etcetera, were utilized to source for relevant publications and literatures. The complex life cycle of the Plasmodium species (causative agent of malaria) gives room for measures that can disrupt its completion. Several methods are currently being tested and experimented on to disrupt the parasite transmission. The disruption of a cell surface transport protein, Feline Leukemia Virus subgroup C Receptor (FLVCR) that pumps heme out of the cell; Gene silencing-techniques used to reduce the levels of FLVCR in the mosquito gut; Prevention of the interaction between the plasmodium TRAP and the Anopheles Saglin protein, which aid the malaria parasite invasion of the mosquito salivary gland; Prevention of the Interaction of Surface Enolase and Plasminogen of Mammalian Blood, disrupting an important role in ookinete invasion of the mosquito midgut; the use of Plants with antimicrobial peptides(cyclotide), that possess structural similarities to SM1 peptide, an inhibitor of plasmodium TRAP-saglin binding;and Use of Phyto-Active Compounds to Block Plasmodium Transmission. These approaches are novel methods in the control and transmission of plasmodium species/malaria. Chemically, phytochemicals with structural similarities to artemisinin, (asesquiteterpene lactone containing an unusual peroxide bridge) is thought of to be present in certain plants with antimalarial and other medicinal value.

scholarly journals Ancient hybridization and strong adaptation to viruses across African vervet monkey populations

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Svardal ◽  
Anna Jasinska ◽  
Cristian Apetrei ◽  
Giovanni Coppola ◽  
Yu Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phenotypic Diversity ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Vervet Monkey ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Close Relative ◽  
Vervet Monkeys ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Colonial Era ◽  
Natural Hosts ◽  
Sub Saharan

Vervet monkeys (genusChlorocebus, also known as African green monkeys), are highly abundant in savannahs and riverine forests throughout sub-Saharan Africa. They are amongst the most widely distributed nonhuman primates, show considerable phenotypic diversity, and have long been an important biomedical model for a variety of human diseases and in vaccine research. They are particularly interesting for HIV/AIDS research as they are the most abundant natural hosts of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a close relative of HIV. Here we present the first genome-wide survey of polymorphism in vervets, using sequencing data from 163 individuals sampled from across Africa and the Caribbean islands where vervets were introduced during the colonial era. We find high diversity, within and between taxa, and clear evidence that taxonomic divergence was reticulate rather than following a simple branching pattern. A scan for diversifying selection across vervet taxa yields gene enrichments much stronger than in similar studies on humans. In particular, we report strong and highly polygenic selection signals affecting viral processes --- in line with recent evidence that proposes a driving role for viruses in protein evolution in mammals. Furthermore, selection scores are highly elevated in genes whose human orthologs interact with HIV, and in genes that show a response to experimental SIV infection in vervet monkeys but not in rhesus macaques, suggesting that part of the signal reflects taxon-specific adaptation to SIV. Intriguingly, rather than affecting genes with antiviral and inflammatory-related functions, selection in vervets appears to have primarily targeted genes involved in the transcriptional regulation of viruses, and in particular those that are harmful only under immunodeficiency, suggesting adaptation to living with SIV rather than defense against infection.

scholarly journals Experimental Babesia Rossi Infection Induces Hemolytic, Metabolic, and Viral Response Pathways in the Canine Host

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Smith ◽  
Amelia Goddard ◽  
Arun Boddapati ◽  
Steven Brooks ◽  
Johan Schoeman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Whole Blood ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Diminazene Aceturate ◽  
Babesia Rossi ◽  
Parasite Biology ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Host Parasite

Abstract Background: Babesia rossi is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the canine population of sub-Saharan Africa, but pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Previous studies of B. rossi infection were derived from clinical cases, in which neither the onset of infection nor the infectious inoculum was known. Here, we performed controlled B. rossi inoculations in canines and evaluated disease progression through clinical tests and whole blood transcriptomic profiling.Results: Three subjects were administered a low inoculum (104 parasites) while two received a high (109 parasites). Subjects were monitored for 8 consecutive days; anti-parasite treatment with diminazene aceturate was administered on day 4. Blood was drawn prior to inoculation as well as every experimental day for assessment of clinical parameters and transcriptomic profiles. The model recapitulated natural disease manifestations including anemia, acidosis, inflammation and behavioral changes. Rate of disease onset and clinical severity were proportional to the inoculum. To analyze the temporal dynamics of the transcriptomic host response, we sequenced mRNA extracted from whole blood drawn on days 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, and 8. Differential gene expression, hierarchical clustering, and pathway enrichment analyses identified genes and pathways involved in response to hemolysis, metabolic changes, and several arms of the immune response including innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and response to viral infection. Conclusions: This work comprehensively characterizies the clinical and transcriptomic progression of B. rossi infection in canines, thus establishing a large mammalian model of severe hemoprotozoal disease to facilitate the study of host-parasite biology and in which to test novel anti-disease therapeutics. The knowledge gained from the study of B. rossi in canines will not only improve our understanding of this emerging infectious disease threat in domestic dogs, but also provide insight into the pathobiology of human diseases caused by Babesia and Plasmodium species.

scholarly journals Experimental Babesia rossi infection induces hemolytic, metabolic, and viral response pathways in the canine host

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Smith ◽  
Amelia Goddard ◽  
Arun Boddapati ◽  
Steven Brooks ◽  
Johan P. Schoeman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Whole Blood ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Clinical Severity ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Diminazene Aceturate ◽  
Babesia Rossi ◽  
Parasite Biology ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Host Parasite

Abstract Background Babesia rossi is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among the canine population of sub-Saharan Africa, but pathogenesis remains poorly understood. Previous studies of B. rossi infection were derived from clinical cases, in which neither the onset of infection nor the infectious inoculum was known. Here, we performed controlled B. rossi inoculations in canines and evaluated disease progression through clinical tests and whole blood transcriptomic profiling. Results Two subjects were administered a low inoculum (104 parasites) while three received a high (108 parasites). Subjects were monitored for 8 consecutive days; anti-parasite treatment with diminazene aceturate was administered on day 4. Blood was drawn prior to inoculation as well as every experimental day for assessment of clinical parameters and transcriptomic profiles. The model recapitulated natural disease manifestations including anemia, acidosis, inflammation and behavioral changes. Rate of disease onset and clinical severity were proportional to the inoculum. To analyze the temporal dynamics of the transcriptomic host response, we sequenced mRNA extracted from whole blood drawn on days 0, 1, 3, 4, 6, and 8. Differential gene expression, hierarchical clustering, and pathway enrichment analyses identified genes and pathways involved in response to hemolysis, metabolic changes, and several arms of the immune response including innate immunity, adaptive immunity, and response to viral infection. Conclusions This work comprehensively characterizes the clinical and transcriptomic progression of B. rossi infection in canines, thus establishing a large mammalian model of severe hemoprotozoal disease to facilitate the study of host-parasite biology and in which to test novel anti-disease therapeutics. The knowledge gained from the study of B. rossi in canines will not only improve our understanding of this emerging infectious disease threat in domestic dogs, but also provide insight into the pathobiology of human diseases caused by Babesia and Plasmodium species.

scholarly journals Ancient DNA of Rickettsia felis and Toxoplasma gondii implicated in the death of a hunter-gatherer boy from South Africa, 2,000 years ago

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riaan F. Rifkin ◽  
Surendra Vikram ◽  
Jean-Baptiste J. Ramond ◽  
Don A. Cowan ◽  
Mattias Jakobsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Causative Agent ◽  
Homo Sapiens ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Rickettsia Felis ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Cultural Origins ◽  
Parasitic Pathogens

The Stone Age record of South Africa provides some of the earliest evidence for the biological and cultural origins of Homo sapiens. While there is extensive genomic evidence for the selection of polymorphisms in response to pathogen-pressure in sub-Saharan Africa, there is insufficient evidence for ancient human-pathogen interactions in the region. Here, we analysed shotgun metagenome libraries derived from the sequencing of a Later Stone Age hunter-gatherer child who lived near Ballito Bay, South Africa, c. 2,000 years ago. This resulted in the identification of DNA sequence reads homologous to Rickettsia felis, and the reconstruction of an ancient R. felis genome, the causative agent of typhus-like flea-borne rickettsioses. The concurrent detection of DNA reads derived from Toxoplasma gondii, the causative agent of toxoplasmosis, confirms the pre-Neolithic incidence of these pathogens in southern Africa. We demonstrate that an R. felis and T. gondii co-infection, exacerbated by various additional bacterial and parasitic pathogens, contributed to the ill-health and subsequent demise of the boy from Ballito Bay.

RTS,S/AS01, a vaccine targeting pre-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-537
Author(s):  
Lorenz von Seidlein ◽  
Borimas Hanboonkunupakarn ◽  
Podjanee Jittmala ◽  
Sasithon Pukrittayakamee
Keyword(s):  
Protective Efficacy ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
European Medicines Agency ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Pivotal Phase ◽  
Malaria Epidemiology ◽  
Maximum Benefit ◽  
Sub Saharan

RTS,S/AS01 is the most advanced vaccine to prevent malaria. It is safe and moderately effective. A large pivotal phase III trial in over 15 000 young children in sub-Saharan Africa completed in 2014 showed that the vaccine could protect around one-third of children (aged 5–17 months) and one-fourth of infants (aged 6–12 weeks) from uncomplicated falciparum malaria. The European Medicines Agency approved licensing and programmatic roll-out of the RTSS vaccine in malaria endemic countries in sub-Saharan Africa. WHO is planning further studies in a large Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme, in more than 400 000 young African children. With the changing malaria epidemiology in Africa resulting in older children at risk, alternative modes of employment are under evaluation, for example the use of RTS,S/AS01 in older children as part of seasonal malaria prophylaxis. Another strategy is combining mass drug administrations with mass vaccine campaigns for all age groups in regional malaria elimination campaigns. A phase II trial is ongoing to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the RTSS in combination with antimalarial drugs in Thailand. Such novel approaches aim to extract the maximum benefit from the well-documented, short-lasting protective efficacy of RTS,S/AS01.

Mortality and Society in Sub-Saharan Africa

1993 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-556
Author(s):  
Lado Ruzicka
Keyword(s):  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan

Adolescent Suicidality as Seen in Rural Northeastern Uganda

Crisis ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugene Kinyanda ◽  
Ruth Kizza ◽  
Jonathan Levin ◽  
Sheila Ndyanabangi ◽  
Catherine Abbo
Keyword(s):  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Psychiatric Nurses ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Sub Saharan

Background: Suicidal behavior in adolescence is a public health concern and has serious consequences for adolescents and their families. There is, however, a paucity of data on this subject from sub-Saharan Africa, hence the need for this study. Aims: A cross-sectional multistage survey to investigate adolescent suicidality among other things was undertaken in rural northeastern Uganda. Methods: A structured protocol administered by trained psychiatric nurses collected information on sociodemographics, mental disorders (DSM-IV criteria), and psychological and psychosocial risk factors for children aged 3–19 years (N = 1492). For the purposes of this paper, an analysis of a subsample of adolescents (aged 10–19 years; n = 897) was undertaken. Results: Lifetime suicidality in this study was 6.1% (95% CI, 4.6%–7.9%). Conclusions: Factors significantly associated with suicidality included mental disorder, the ecological factor district of residence, factors suggestive of low socioeconomic status, and disadvantaged childhood experiences.

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