Past and current biological factors affecting malaria in the low transmission setting of Botswana: A review.

Malaria continues to be one of the top infectious agents contributing to morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Annually, Botswana accounts only for a small proportion of cases (<<1%). Despite significantly reduced incidence rate, the country still experiences sporadic outbreaks that hamper the goal of malaria elimination.

Molecular Surveillance of Drug Resistance Markers in Clinical Samples from Botswana.

Drug-resistant is a major threat to global malaria control and elimination efforts. In Botswana, a southern African country approaching malaria elimination, molecular data are not available. Parasites were assessed through pollymerase chain reaction (PCR) for confirmation of positive rapid diagnostic tests, multiplicity of infection (MOI), and drug resistance markers among isolates from clinical uncomplicated malaria cases collected at health facilities.

Prevalence of G6PD deficiency and associated haematological parameters in children from Botswana.

Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is commonly seen in malaria endemic areas as it is known to confer a selective advantage against malaria. Recently, we reported a high proportion of asymptomatic reservoir of Plasmodium vivax in Botswana, that calls for intervention with primaquine to achieve radical cure of vivax malaria. Considering that individuals with this enzyme deficiency are at risk of haemolysis following primaquine treatment, assessment of the population for the relative frequency of G6PD deficiency is imperative.

Human cytochrome P450 2B6 genetic variability in Botswana: a case of haplotype diversity and convergent phenotypes.

Identification of inter-individual variability for drug metabolism through cytochrome P450 2B6 (CYP2B6) enzyme is important for understanding the differences in clinical responses to malaria and HIV. This study evaluates the distribution of CYP2B6 alleles, haplotypes and inferred metabolic phenotypes among subjects with different ethnicity in Botswana. A total of 570 subjects were analyzed for CYP2B6 polymorphisms at position 516 G > T (rs3745274), 785 A > G (rs2279343) and 983 T > C (rs28399499).

Preliminary survey on Anopheles species distribution in Botswana shows the presence of Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles funestus complexes.

Background: Botswana is one of the four front line malaria elimination countries in Southern Africa, with malaria control activities that include routine vector control. Past and recent studies have shown that Anopheles arabiensis is the only known vector of Plasmodium parasites in the country. This report presents a preliminary evaluation on Anopheles species composition in seven districts of Botswana with some inferences on their vectorial role.

Cytochrome P450 2C8*2 allele in Botswana: Human genetic diversity and public health implications.

Human cytochrome P450 2C8 is a highly polymorphic gene and shows variation according to ethnicity. The CYP2C8*2 is a slow drug metabolism allele and shows 10-24% frequency in Black populations. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of CYP2C8*2 allele in Botswana among the San (or Bushmen) and the Bantu ethnic groups.

CYP2B6 poor metaboliser alleles involved in efavirenz and nevirapine metabolism: CYP2B6*9 and CYP2B6*18 distribution in HIV-exposed subjects from Dschang, Western Cameroon.

The prescription of patients' tailored anti-infectious treatments is the ultimate goal of pharmacogenetics/genomics applied to antimicrobial treatments, providing a basis for personalized medicine. Despite the efforts to screen Africans for alleles underlying defective metabolism for a panel of different drugs, still more research is necessary to clarify the interplay between host genetic variation and treatments' response. HIV is a major infectious disease in sub-Saharan African countries, and the main prescribed anti-HIV combination therapy includes efavirenz (EFV) or nevirapine (NVP).