scholarly journals Detection of mixed infection of Plasmodium species in the Southern province of Rwanda. Case study: Ruhango, Bunyogombe and Kibilizi Health centres

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-115
Author(s):  
Regis Ndahiro ◽  
Pascal Bizimana ◽  
Ella Larissa Ndoricyimpaye ◽  
Alphonse Hakizimana ◽  
Jean Damascene Mfizi

Background: Malaria is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa including Rwanda. Though the prevalence of malaria has been reduced due to the use of indoor residual sprayings and insecticide-treated bed nets, it is still a disease that kills many people annually. Many studies conducted revealed that in sub-Saharan Africa including Rwanda there is a high prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum. However, there is still a gap in the identification of the presence of mixed Plasmodium infection. This study was conducted to determine the overall prevalence of Plasmodium species as well as that of mixed plasmodium infection in Ruhango and Kibilizi Health centres. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 126 participants in Ruhango, Bunyogombe and Kibilizi health centres located in the southern province of Rwanda. The conventional sampling strategy was used for the selection of individuals who consented to participate in the study. Blood samples were used to detect Plasmodium species and the obtained data were analyzed using Microsoft excel and IBM SPSS version 21. Results: Among 126 participants presenting with signs and symptoms of malaria, the overall positive cases of Plasmodium species were 61(48.4%) and among the total positive cases 56 (44.5%) were infected with single Plasmodium species while 5 (4%) were infected with mixed Plasmodium species. Plasmodium falciparum was the most prevalent species infecting 49 (39%) participants while Plasmodium vivax was the least prevalent infection, detected in only 1(0.8%) participant. Conclusion: The study identified the significant prevalence of mixed-species of Plasmodium infection as well as the high prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum infection in the study population. These findings suggest that there is a need for continued monitoring of non-falciparum infection in this population and the introduction of species-specific RDTs that can be used for diagnostic purposes.

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 983-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marielle Karine Bouyou-Akotet ◽  
Denise Patricia Mawili Mboumba ◽  
Eric Kendjo ◽  
Fanckie Mbadinga ◽  
Nestor Obiang-Bekale ◽  
...  

Introduction: Anaemia remains a major cause of poor health in children and pregnant women living in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is one of the main causes of anaemia in endemic countries. At the time of decreasing Plasmodium falciparum infection prevalence among children, it was essential to analyze the evolution of anaemia and severe malarial anaemia (SMA), the most frequent clinical manifestation of severe malaria, in Gabon. Methodology: Yearly recorded haemoglobin levels of febrile children aged below11 years, who benefitted from microscopic malaria diagnosis, were retrospectively analyzed to determine the evolution of anaemia and SMA prevalence throughout a nine-year period between 2000 and 2008. Results: Anaemia prevalence remained high both in P. falciparum-infected children (between 87.6% and 90.7%) and in uninfected children (between 73.5% and 82.6%). Although the risk of developing severe anaemia ranged between 1.9 [0.9-3.8] in 2000 and 3.0 [1.3-6.5] in 2007, SMA prevalence did not significantly change during the study period, varying from 6.0% to 8.0%. From 2001, the frequency of SMA was comparable between children younger than five years of age and children older than five years of age. Conclusions: The decreasing malaria prevalence previously observed in Gabon between 2000 and 2008 was not associated with a significant reduction of anaemia and SMA burden among children. Furthermore, other factors such as nutritional deficiencies, which may not be negligible, must be investigated in this vulnerable population


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Aigbiremo Oboh ◽  
Upasana Shyamsunder Singh ◽  
Daouda Nidaye ◽  
Aida S. Badiane ◽  
Anwar Ali ◽  
...  

AbstractMalaria in sub-Saharan Africa (sSA) is thought to be hugely caused by Plasmodium falciparum and very infrequently by P. ovale, P. malariae, with P. vivax not even being considered to be of any significant role. However, with the availability of very sensitive diagnostic tool, it has become more clear that, the percentage of non-falciparum malaria in this sub-region has been underestimated. P. vivax was historically thought to be absent in sSA due to the high prevalence of the Duffy null antigen in individuals residing here. Nevertheless, recent studies reporting the detection of vivax malaria in Duffy-negative individuals challenges this notion. Following our earlier report of P. vivax in Duffy-negative individuals, we have re-assessed all previous samples following the classical PCR method and sequencing to confirm both single/mixed infections as well as the Duffy status of the individuals.Interestingly, fifteen additional Plasmodium infections were detected, representing 5.9% in prevalence from our earlier work. In addition, P. vivax represents 26.7% (4/15) of the new isolates collected in Nigeria. Sequencing results confirmed, all vivax isolates as truly vivax malaria and their Duffy status to be that of the Duffy-negative genotype. The identification of more vivax isolates among these Duffy-negative individuals from Nigeria, substantiate the expanding body of evidence of the ability of P. vivax to infect RBCs that do not express the DARC gene. Hence, such geno-epidemiological study should be conducted at the national level in order to evaluate the actual burden of P. vivax in the country.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan Kalungi ◽  
Eugene Kinyanda ◽  
Dickens Howard Akena ◽  
Pontiano Kaleebu ◽  
Innocent M. Bisangwa

Sub-Saharan Africa has generally experienced few cases and deaths of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In addition to other potential explanations for the few cases and deaths of COVID-19 such as the population socio-demographics, early lockdown measures and the possibility of under reporting, we hypothesize in this mini review that individuals with a recent history of malaria infection may be protected against infection or severe form of COVID-19. Given that both the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) merozoites bind to the cluster of differentiation 147 (CD147) immunoglobulin, we hypothesize that the immunological memory against P. falciparum merozoites primes SARS-CoV-2 infected cells for early phagocytosis, hence protecting individuals with a recent P. falciparum infection against COVID-19 infection or severity. This mini review therefore discusses the potential biological link between P. falciparum infection and COVID-19 infection or severity and further highlights the importance of CD147 immunoglobulin as an entry point for both SARS-CoV-2 and P. falciparum into host cells.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 982
Author(s):  
Jana Těšíková ◽  
Jarmila Krásová ◽  
Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq

Rodents are a speciose group of mammals with strong zoonotic potential. Some parts of Africa are still underexplored for the occurrence of rodent-borne pathogens, despite this high potential. Angola is at the convergence of three major biogeographical regions of sub-Saharan Africa, each harbouring a specific rodent community. This rodent-rich area is, therefore, strategic for studying the diversity and evolution of rodent-borne viruses. In this study we examined 290 small mammals, almost all rodents, for the presence of mammarenavirus and hantavirus RNA. While no hantavirus was detected, we found three rodent species positive for distinct mammarenaviruses with a particularly high prevalence in Namaqua rock rats (Micaelamys namaquensis). We characterised four complete virus genomes, which showed typical mammarenavirus organisation. Phylogenetic and genetic distance analyses revealed: (i) the presence of a significantly divergent strain of Luna virus in Angolan representatives of the ubiquitous Natal multimammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis), (ii) a novel Okahandja-related virus associated with the Angolan lineage of Micaelamys namaquensis for which we propose the name Bitu virus (BITV) and (iii) the occurrence of a novel Mobala-like mammarenavirus in the grey-bellied pygmy mouse (Mus triton) for which we propose the name Kwanza virus (KWAV). This high virus diversity in a limited host sample size and in a relatively small geographical area supports the idea that Angola is a hotspot for mammarenavirus diversity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ommer Mohammed Dafalla ◽  
Mohammed Alzahrani ◽  
Ahmed Sahli ◽  
Mohammed Abdulla Al Helal ◽  
Mohammad Mohammad Alhazmi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is recommended at the initial phase for treatment of Plasmodium falciparum, to reduce morbidity and mortality in all countries where malaria is endemic. Polymorphism in portions of P. falciparum gene encoding kelch (K13)-propeller domains is associated with delayed parasite clearance after ACT. Of about 124 different non-synonymous mutations, 46 have been identified in Southeast Asia (SEA), 62 in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and 16 in both the regions. This is the first study designed to analyse the prevalence of polymorphism in the P. falciparum k13-propeller domain in the Jazan region of southwest Saudi Arabia, where malaria is endemic. Methods One-hundred and forty P. falciparum samples were collected from Jazan region of southwest Saudi Arabia at three different times: 20 samples in 2011, 40 samples in 2016 and 80 samples in 2020 after the implementation of ACT. Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 (k13) gene DNA was extracted, amplified, sequenced, and analysed using a basic local alignment search tool (BLAST). Results This study obtained 51 non-synonymous (NS) mutations in three time groups, divided as follows: 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) ‘11.8%’ in samples collected in 2011 only, 3 (5.9%) in 2011and 2016, 5 (9.8%) in 2011 and 2020, 5 (9.8%) in 2016 only, 8 (15.7%) in 2016 and 2020, 14 (27.5%) in 2020 and 10 (19.6%) in all the groups. The BLAST revealed that the 2011 isolates were genetically closer to African isolates (53.3%) than Asian ones (46.7%). Interestingly, this proportion changed completely in 2020, to become closer to Asian isolates (81.6%) than to African ones (18.4%). Conclusions Despite the diversity of the identified mutations in the k13-propeller gene, these data did not report widespread artemisinin-resistant polymorphisms in the Jazan region where these samples were collected. Such a process would be expected to increase frequencies of mutations associated with the resistance of ACT.


Acta Tropica ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.D. Sharma ◽  
S. Biswas ◽  
C.R. Pillai ◽  
M.A. Ansari ◽  
T. Adak ◽  
...  

Parasitology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 147 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne K. Angora ◽  
Jean-François Allienne ◽  
Olivier Rey ◽  
Hervé Menan ◽  
André O. Touré ◽  
...  

AbstractSchistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease, though it is highly prevalent in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. While Schistosoma haematobium-bovis hybrids have been reported in West Africa, no data about Schistosoma hybrids in humans are available from Côte d'Ivoire. This study aimed to identify and quantify S. haematobium-bovis hybrids among schoolchildren in four localities of Côte d'Ivoire. Urine samples were collected and examined by filtration to detect Schistosoma eggs. Eggs were hatched and 503 miracidia were individually collected and stored on Whatman® FTA cards for molecular analysis. Individual miracidia were molecularly characterized by analysis of mitochondrial cox1 and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS 2) DNA regions. A mitochondrial cox1-based diagnostic polymerase chain reaction was performed on 459 miracidia, with 239 (52.1%) exhibiting the typical band for S. haematobium and 220 (47.9%) the S. bovis band. The cox1 and ITS 2 amplicons were Sanger sequenced from 40 randomly selected miracidia to confirm species and hybrids status. Among the 33 cox1 sequences analysed, we identified 15 S. haematobium sequences (45.5%) belonging to seven haplotypes and 18 S. bovis sequences (54.5%) belonging to 12 haplotypes. Of 40 ITS 2 sequences analysed, 31 (77.5%) were assigned to pure S. haematobium, four (10.0%) to pure S. bovis and five (12.5%) to S. haematobium-bovis hybrids. Our findings suggest that S. haematobium-bovis hybrids are common in Côte d'Ivoire. Hence, intense prospection of domestic and wild animals is warranted to determine whether zoonotic transmission occurs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document