Therapeutic response to artemisinin combination therapies among individuals with Plasmodium falciparum single infection vs mixed Plasmodium species infections: a retrospective posthoc analysis in Kisumu County, western Kenya.

Objectives: This study examined the treatment response of mixed vs single-species Plasmodium falciparum infections to artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs).

Methods: A total of 1211 blood samples collected on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 from 173 individuals enrolled in two randomized ACT efficacy studies were tested for malaria using 18s ribosomal RNA-based real-time polymerase chain reaction. All recurrent parasitemia were characterized for Plasmodium species composition and time to reinfection during 42-day follow-up compared across ACTs.

Characterization of sulfated polysaccharide activity against virulent PHISTb/RLP1 protein.

The emergence of artemisinin resistance in South East Asia calls for urgent discovery of new drug compounds that have antiplasmodial activity. Unlike the classical compound screening drug discovery methods, the rational approach involving targeted drug discovery is less cumbersome and therefore key for innovation of new antiplasmodial compounds.  (Pf) utilizes the process of host erythrocyte remodeling using Plasmodium-helical interspersed sub-telomeric domain (PHIST) containing proteins, which are amenable drug targets.