Genome sequencing of Plasmodium malariae identifies continental segregation and mutations associated with reduced pyrimethamine susceptibility.

Plasmodium malariae parasites are widely observed across the tropics and sub-tropics. This slow-growing species, known to maintain chronic asymptomatic infections, has been associated with reduced antimalarial susceptibility. We analyse 251 P.

Genomic analysis of global Plasmodium vivax populations reveals insights into the evolution of drug resistance.

Increasing reports of chloroquine resistance (CQR) in Plasmodium vivax endemic regions have led to several countries, including Indonesia, to adopt dihydroarteminsin-piperaquine instead. However, the molecular drivers of CQR remain unclear. Using a genome-wide approach, we perform a genomic analysis of 1534 P.

Inhibitors of malaria parasite cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases block asexual blood-stage development and mosquito transmission.

Cyclic nucleotide-dependent phosphodiesterases (PDEs) play essential roles in regulating the malaria parasite life cycle, suggesting that they may be promising antimalarial drug targets. PDE inhibitors are used safely to treat a range of noninfectious human disorders. Here, we report three subseries of fast-acting and potent PDEβ inhibitors that block asexual blood-stage parasite development and that are also active against human clinical isolates.

Plasmodium falciparum population dynamics in East Africa and genomic surveillance along the Kenya-Uganda border.

East African countries accounted for ~ 10% of all malaria prevalence worldwide in 2022, with an estimated 23.8 million cases and > 53,000 deaths. Despite recent increases in malaria incidence, high-resolution genome-wide analyses of Plasmodium parasite populations are sparse in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.

New reference genomes to distinguish the sympatric malaria parasites, Plasmodium ovale curtisi and Plasmodium ovale wallikeri.

Despite Plasmodium ovale curtisi (Poc) and wallikeri (Pow) being important human-infecting malaria parasites that are widespread across Africa and Asia, little is known about their genome diversity. Morphologically identical, Poc and Pow are indistinguishable and commonly misidentified. Recent rises in the incidence of Poc/Pow infections have renewed efforts to address fundamental knowledge gaps in their biology, and to develop diagnostic tools to understand their epidemiological dynamics and malaria burden.