Publications by authors named "G M Nyutu"
Article Synopsis
- Blood group O provides protection against severe malaria, while non-O blood groups (such as AA, AB, BB, and AO) are associated with increased risk and larger P. falciparum-host red blood cell rosettes.
- The study tested whether double dose non-O genotypes (AA, BB, AB) have a higher risk of severe malaria compared to single dose heterozygotes (AO, BO) among Kenyan children.
- Results indicated that double dose genotypes had significantly higher odds ratios for severe malaria and formed larger rosettes in vitro, supporting the idea that these genotypes increase susceptibility to malaria pathology.
The Kilifi Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KHDSS) was established in 2000 to define the incidence and prevalence of local diseases and evaluate the impact of community-based interventions. KHDSS morbidity data have been reported comprehensively but mortality has not been described. This analysis describes mortality in the KHDSS over 16 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The high proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections that have remained undetected presents a challenge to tracking the progress of the pandemic and estimating the extent of population immunity.
Methods: We used residual blood samples from women attending antenatal care services at three hospitals in Kenya between August 2020 and October 2021and a validated IgG ELISA for SARS-Cov-2 spike protein and adjusted the results for assay sensitivity and specificity. We fitted a two-component mixture model as an alternative to the threshold analysis to estimate of the proportion of individuals with past SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Severe malaria caused by is difficult to diagnose accurately in children in high-transmission settings. Using data from 2649 pediatric and adult patients enrolled in four studies of severe illness in three countries (Bangladesh, Kenya, and Uganda), we fitted Bayesian latent class models using two diagnostic markers: the platelet count and the plasma concentration of histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2). In severely ill patients with clinical features consistent with severe malaria, the combination of a platelet count of ≤150,000/μl and a plasma HRP2 concentration of ≥1000 ng/ml had an estimated sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 93% in identifying severe falciparum malaria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Severe falciparum malaria significantly contributes to child deaths in sub-Saharan Africa, and the levels of PfHRP2 protein in blood can help diagnose and predict the severity of the disease.
- - A study involving 2,198 Kenyan children with severe malaria found that certain genetic variations, particularly in red blood cell genes, are linked to lower levels of PfHRP2, suggesting these genes offer some protection against severe disease.
- - The ATP2B4 gene variant is associated with higher PfHRP2 levels but lower parasite counts, indicating it has a unique protective role against severe malaria, and the study proposes ways to investigate how it works.