Imported malaria in a non-endemic country: sixteen years of cases in a hospital in the South of Madrid, Spain.

Purpose: Malaria keeps on being a serious global health threat, especially in many tropical countries, where it is endemic. Also in non-endemic countries, like Spain, malaria is an issue that requires attention due to the presence of imported cases.

Methods: This is a retrospective study, including all patients diagnosed with malaria at Severo Ochoa University Hospital from 2006 to 2022, being classified according to: (I) their type of stay in an endemic area as visiting friends and relatives (VFR), migrants of recent arrival (MRA), or tourism and business (T&B), and (II) the mode of presentation as microscopic (MM) or submicroscopic (SMM) malaria.

Screening blood donors for malaria, can we increase the number of eligible donors? An observational retrospective study.

Background: In non-endemic countries, malaria can be transmitted through blood donations from imported cases. To ensure standards of quality and safety of human blood, the European Union and Spanish national law, requires a deferral period, or a screening by immunological or genomic test among those donors with potential risk of malaria. Scientific societies, European Committee on Blood Transfusion, and Spanish Society of Haematology and Haemotherapy, refer only to the result of the immunological test.

Polymorphisms in the human angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) linked to susceptibility of COVID-19 and malaria infections in the Ghanaian population.

Genetic variations in the human angiotensin converting enzyme gene (ACE) influence ACE enzyme expression levels in humans and subsequently influence both communicable and non-communicable disease outcomes. More recently, polymorphisms in this gene have been linked to susceptibility and outcomes of infectious diseases such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and malaria infections. This study is the first to investigate the genetic diversity of ACE and ACE2 polymorphisms in the Ghanaian population.

Molecular Diagnosis of Leishmaniasis in Spain: Development and Validation of Ready-To-Use Gel-Form Nested and Real-Time PCRs To Detect spp.

Leishmaniasis is an endemic parasitic disease in at least 98 countries. In Spain, it is considered a zoonosis caused by Leishmania infantum, with an annual incidence of 0.62 cases/100,000 inhabitants.

Screening of imported malaria infection in asymptomatic migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa: A retrospective analysis of a 2010-2019 cohort.

Background: Up to 40% of cases of imported malaria in Europe are diagnosed in recently arrived migrants, who generally exhibit asymptomatic or mild symptoms and show low parasitaemia (submicroscopic). The study describes the prevalence of malaria infection among asymptomatic Sub-Saharan African migrants (ASSAM) and compares asymptomatic malaria-infected (AMI) vs non-malaria infected patients.

Methods: An observational, comparative, retrospective study was carried out in ASSAM who underwent a medical examination, between 2010 and 2019 at the National Reference Unit for Tropical Diseases (NRU-Trop) in Madrid, Spain.

Comparison of three PCR-based methods to detect Loa loa and Mansonella perstans in long-term frozen storage dried blood spots.

Objectives: Loa loa and Mansonella perstans are two very common filarial species in Africa. Although microscopy is the traditional diagnostic method for human filariasis, several polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods have emerged as an alternative approach for identifying filarial parasites. The aim of this study is to compare three molecular methods and decide which is the most suitable for diagnosing human loiasis and mansonellosis in non-endemic regions using dried blood spot (DBS) as a medium for sample collection and storage.

Evaluation of LAMP for the diagnosis of Loa loa infection in dried blood spots compared to PCR-based assays and microscopy.

Background: Loa loa is a filarial species found exclusively in West and Central Africa. Microscopy is the traditional diagnosis method for human loiasis. Several molecular methods have developed as an alternative approach for identification of L.

Preliminary comparison between an in-house real-time PCR vs microscopy for the diagnosis of Loa loa and Mansonella perstans.

Infections with the filarial nematodes Loa loa and Mansonella perstans are among the most neglected filarial infections. L. loa is endemic in 11 countries of Central and West Africa and loiasis is estimated to affect about 20 million people.

Multi-Laboratory Evaluation of a Lateral Flow Rapid Test for Detection of Amebic Liver Abscess.

Independent evaluations of XEh Rapid, an IgG4-based rapid dipstick test, were performed to assess its diagnostic performance to detect amebic liver abscess (ALA) using 405 samples at seven laboratories in four countries. The test showed high diagnostic specificity (97-100%) when tested with samples from healthy individuals ( = 100) and patients with other diseases ( = 151). The diagnostic sensitivity was tested with a total of 154 samples, and the results were variable.

Several Plasmodium vivax relapses after correct primaquine treatment in a patient with impaired cytochrome P450 2D6 function.

Background: Plasmodium vivax malaria is characterized by the presence of dormant liver-stage parasites, called hypnozoites, which can cause malaria relapses after an initial attack. Primaquine, which targets liver hypnozoites, must be used in combination with a schizonticidal agent to get the radical cure. However, relapses can sometimes occur in spite of correct treatment, due to different factors such as a diminished metabolization of primaquine.

Correction to: Evidence of asymptomatic submicroscopic malaria in low transmission areas in Belaga district, Kapit division, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Please note that an author has been erroneously omitted from the author list of the published article [1].

Prevalence of submicroscopic malaria infection in immigrants living in Spain.

Background: The importance of submicroscopic malaria infections in high-transmission areas could contribute to maintain the parasite cycle. Regarding non-endemic areas, its importance remains barely understood because parasitaemia in these afebrile patients is usually below the detection limits for microscopy, hence molecular techniques are often needed for its diagnosis. In addition to this, the lack of standardized protocols for the screening of submicroscopic malaria in immigrants from endemic areas may underestimate the infection with Plasmodium spp.

Evidence of asymptomatic submicroscopic malaria in low transmission areas in Belaga district, Kapit division, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Background: Malaysia has declared its aim to eliminate malaria with a goal of achieving zero local transmission by the year 2020. However, targeting the human reservoir of infection, including those with asymptomatic infection is required to achieve malaria elimination. Diagnosing asymptomatic malaria is not as straightforward due to the obvious lack of clinical manifestations and often subpatent level of parasites.

Collaborative intelligence and gamification for on-line malaria species differentiation.

Background: Current World Health Organization recommendations for the management of malaria include the need for a parasitological confirmation prior to triggering appropriate treatment. The use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria has contributed to a better infection recognition and a more targeted treatment. Nevertheless, low-density infections and parasites that fail to produce HRP2 can cause false-negative RDT results.

Correction to: Imported and autochthonous malaria in West Saudi Arabia: results from a reference hospital.

Following publication of the original article [1], it was flagged by one of the authors that the name of the P. falciparum gene marker of artemisinin resistance 'pfkelch13' was (incorrectly) written as "pfketch13", which was repeated seven times in different parts of the published paper.

Study of the diagnostic accuracy of microbiological techniques in the diagnosis of malaria in the immigrant population in Madrid.

Background: Malaria is currently the most important human parasitic disease in the world responsible for high morbidity and mortality. Appropriate diagnostic methods are essential for early detection. Microscopy examination remains the gold standard, although molecular techniques have higher sensitivity and are very useful in cases of low parasitaemia and mixed infections.

Imported and autochthonous malaria in West Saudi Arabia: results from a reference hospital.

Background: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is seeking malaria eradication. Malaria transmission has been very low over the last few years. Discovered cases of Plasmodium falciparum infection are assigned a treatment protocol of artemisinin-based combination therapy, which consists of artesunate in addition to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine rather than the traditional chloroquine, which has high resistance rates worldwide.

Donor-derived multiorgan transmission of mixed P. malariae and P. ovale infection: Impact of globalization on post-transplant infections.

A 57-year-old man was admitted with fever and thrombocytopenia 1 month after renal transplantation. He had never received a blood transfusion or travelled outside Spain. A peripheral blood smear revealed Plasmodium malariae and P.

Interruption of onchocerciasis transmission in Bioko Island: Accelerating the movement from control to elimination in Equatorial Guinea.

Background: Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, is a parasitic disease. More than 99 percent of all cases occur in Africa. Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea) is the only island endemic for onchocerciasis in the world.

Plasmodium species differentiation by non-expert on-line volunteers for remote malaria field diagnosis.

Background: Routine field diagnosis of malaria is a considerable challenge in rural and low resources endemic areas mainly due to lack of personnel, training and sample processing capacity. In addition, differential diagnosis of Plasmodium species has a high level of misdiagnosis. Real time remote microscopical diagnosis through on-line crowdsourcing platforms could be converted into an agile network to support diagnosis-based treatment and malaria control in low resources areas.

Geographical distribution and species identification of human filariasis and onchocerciasis in Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea.

Human filariae are vector-borne parasites and the causative agents of various diseases, including human onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Onchocerciasis causes a spectrum of cutaneous and ophthalmologic manifestations (including blindness) and has long been a major public health problem in Bioko Island (Equatorial Guinea). Bioko Island has been included in the WHO's Onchocerciasis Control Program since 1987.

Profile of molecular mutations in pfdhfr, pfdhps, pfmdr1, and pfcrt genes of Plasmodium falciparum related to resistance to different anti-malarial drugs in the Bata District (Equatorial Guinea).

Background: The emergence of drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum has been a major contributor to the global burden of malaria. Drug resistance complicates treatment, and it is one of the most important problems in malaria control. This study assessed the level of mutations in P.

LAMP kit for diagnosis of non-falciparum malaria in Plasmodium ovale infected patients.

Background: Microscopy and rapid diagnosis tests have a limited sensitivity in diagnosis of malaria by Plasmodium ovale. The LAMP kit (LoopAMP®) can be used in the field without special equipment and could have an important role in malaria control programmes in endemic areas and for malaria diagnosis in returned travellers. The performance of the Pan primer of the kit in detecting malaria by P.

Molecular diagnosis of Entamoeba spp. versus microscopy in the Great Cairo.

Amoebiasis is a human disease produced by Entamoeba histolytica which causes widespread mortality and morbidity worldwide through diarrheal disease and abscess establishment in parenchymal tissues such as liver, lung, and brain. The true prevalence of infection is unknown for most areas of the world due to the difficulty to characterise Entamoeba histolytica versus other non-pathogenic amoebas with identical morphology, as Entamoeba dispar, and Entamoeba moshkovskii. To overcome microscopy misidentification issues, we tested a nested multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and a real-time PCR on 194 stool samples collected from incoming dysentery patients in Cairo hospitals diagnosed with E.