Publications by authors named "T Bousema"
The emergence of parasites partially resistant to artemisinins (ART-R) poses a significant threat to recent gains in malaria control. ART-R has been associated with PfKelch13 (K13) mutations, which differ in fitness costs. This study investigates the gametocyte production and transmission fitness of African and Asian isolates with different K13 genotypes across multiple mosquito species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The number of mosquito bites a person receives determines the risk of acquiring malaria and the likelihood of transmitting infections to mosquitoes. We assessed heterogeneity in biting and associated factors in two settings in Uganda with different endemicity.
Methods: parasites in blood-fed indoor caught mosquitoes were quantified using qPCR targeting the Pf18S rRNA gene.
Article Synopsis
- - The study investigated how long malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) and ultra-sensitive RDT (uRDT) remained positive after treatment in a low transmission area in Namibia, finding an average positivity duration of 42 days for RDT and 67 days for uRDT.
- - Factors such as younger age, higher initial parasite density, and persistent parasitemia were linked to longer test positivity, indicating that the usual explanations for lingering positive results, like drug resistance, did not apply.
- - These prolonged positivity durations highlight challenges in using RDTs and uRDTs for accurately identifying current infections in low transmission settings, as they might reflect residual parasite DNA rather than active infection.
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Currently licensed and approved malaria subunit vaccines provide modest, short-lived protection against malaria. Immunization with live-attenuated malaria parasites is an alternative vaccination strategy that has potential to improve protection.
Methods: We conducted a double-blind, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the safety, side-effect profile, and efficacy of immunization, by means of mosquito bites, with a second-generation genetically attenuated parasite (GA2) - a single knockout NF54 parasite (sporozoite form) with extended development into the liver stage.