Malaria infection among adults residing in a highly endemic region from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Adults infected with Plasmodium spp. in endemic areas need to be re-evaluated in light of global malaria elimination goals. They potentially undermine malaria interventions but remain an overlooked aspect of public health strategies.

The landscape of drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a mapping systematic review.

Context: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the most malaria-affected countries worldwide, is a potential hub for global drug-resistant malaria. This study aimed at summarizing and mapping surveys of malaria parasites carrying molecular markers of drug-resistance across the country.

Methods: A systematic mapping review was carried out before July 2023 by searching for relevant articles through seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, African Journal Online, African Index Medicus, Bioline and Web of Science).

Biennial surveillance of Plasmodium falciparum anti-malarial drug resistance markers in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2017 and 2019.

Background: Because of the loss of chloroquine (CQ) effectiveness, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s malaria treatment policy replaced CQ by sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) as first-line treatment of uncomplicated malaria in 2003, which in turn was replaced by artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACT) in 2005. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends monitoring of anti-malarial drug resistance every 2 years. The study aimed to provide baseline data for biennial molecular surveillance of anti-malarial drug resistance by comparing data from a study conducted in 2019 to previously published data from a similar study conducted in 2017 in the DRC.

Assessment of the diagnostic accuracy and relevance of a novel ELISA system developed for seroepidemiologic surveys of Helicobacter pylori infection in African settings.

Beside diagnostic uncertainties due to the lack of a perfect gold standard test for Helicobacter pylori infection, the diagnosis and the prevalence estimation for this infection encounter particular challenges in Africa including limited diagnostic tools and specific genetic background. We developed and evaluated the accuracy of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system tailored for H. pylori genetics in Africa (HpAfr-ELISA).

Care-seeking behaviour and socio-economic burden associated with uncomplicated malaria in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Background: This study aimed to estimate the socio-economic costs of uncomplicated malaria and to explore health care-seeking behaviours that are likely to influence these costs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country ranked worldwide as the second most affected by malaria.

Methods: In 2017, a cross-sectional survey included patients with uncomplicated malaria in 64 healthcare facilities from 10 sentinel sites of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) in the DRC. A standard questionnaire was used to assess health care-seeking behaviours of patients.

Assessment of Plasmodium falciparum anti-malarial drug resistance markers in pfk13-propeller, pfcrt and pfmdr1 genes in isolates from treatment failure patients in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2018-2019.

Background: The national policy for malaria treatment of the Democratic Republic of Congo recommends two first-line artemisinin-based combinations for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria: artesunate-amodiaquine and artemether-lumefantrine. This study investigated the presence of markers associated with resistance to the current first-line artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in isolates of Plasmodium falciparum from treatment failure patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Methods: From November 2018 to November 2019, dried blood spots were taken from patients returning to health centres for fever within 28 days after an initial malaria treatment in six sentinel sites of the National Malaria Control Programme across Democratic Republic of Congo.

Spatial and molecular mapping of Pfkelch13 gene polymorphism in Africa in the era of emerging Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin: a systematic review.

The spread of Plasmodium falciparum isolates carrying mutations in the kelch13 (Pfkelch13) gene associated with artemisinin resistance (PfART-R) in southeast Asia threatens malaria control and elimination efforts. Emergence of PfART-R in Africa would result in a major public health problem. In this systematic review, we investigate the frequency and spatial distribution of Pfkelch13 mutants in Africa, including mutants linked to PfART-R in southeast Asia.

The lack of K13-propeller mutations associated with artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) have been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as first-line treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) malaria since 2005 in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and a regular surveillance of the ACT efficacy is required to ensure the treatment effectiveness. Mutations in the propeller domain of the pfk13 gene were identified as molecular markers of artemisinin resistance (ART-R).

Molecular surveillance of anti-malarial drug resistance in Democratic Republic of Congo: high variability of chloroquinoresistance and lack of amodiaquinoresistance.

Background: The loss of chloroquine (CQ) effectiveness has led to its withdrawal from national policies as a first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria in several endemic countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The K76T mutation on the pfcrt gene has been identified as a marker of CQ resistance and the SVMNT haplotype in codons 72-76 on the same gene has been associated with resistance to amodiaquine (AQ). In the DRC, the prevalence of K76T has decreased from 100% in 2000 to 63.