Molecular detection of human Plasmodium species using a multiplex real time PCR.

Molecular detection methods have revealed higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional microscopy or rapid diagnostic tests for malaria diagnosis. In this study, we implemented, evaluated and validated according to the ISO 15,189 requirements, a multiplex real-time PCR assay to detect and identify the five human malaria parasites. DNA samples were extracted from whole blood or dried blood spots drawn from patients.

[Mayotte, a malaria-free island at last?].

Mayotte is a French overseas department and one of the 4 islands of the Comoros archipelago in the Indian Ocean, located between Madagascar and the eastern coast of Africa. Malaria, mainly by , is endemic to the archipelago and remained a major public health problem until recent years. To control and then eliminate the disease, major strategies have been established in Mayotte since 2001.

Use of rapid diagnostic tests for the detection of ancient malaria infections in dental pulp from the sixth century in Versailles, France.

Background: Paleomicrobiological data have clarified that Plasmodium spp. was circulating in the past in southern European populations, which are now devoid of malaria. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of immunodetection and, more particularly, rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), in order to further assess Plasmodium infections in ancient northern European populations.

Plasmodium falciparum kelch13 polymorphisms identified after treatment failure with artemisinin-based combination therapy in Niger.

Background: Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the most effective treatment for malaria, and has significantly reduced morbimortality. Polymorphisms associated with the Plasmodium falciparum Kelch gene (Pfkelch13) have been associated with delayed parasite clearance even with ACT treatment.

Methods: The Pfkelch13 gene was sequenced from P.

Emerging infectious diseases and new pandemics: dancing with a ghost! Lessons in inter- and transdisciplinary research in French Guiana, South America.

In light of current international public health challenges, calls for inter- and transdisciplinary research are increasing, particularly in response to complex and intersecting issues. Although widely used under the One Health flag, it is still unclear how inter- and transdisciplinary science should be applied to infectious disease research, public health, and the different stakeholders. Here, we present and discuss our common scientific and biomedical experience in French Guiana, South America to conduct and enrich research in vector-borne and zoonotic infectious diseases, with the aim to translate findings to public health and political stakeholders.

Assessment of a Commercial Real-Time PCR Assay (Vitassay qPCR Malaria 5 Test) to Detect Human Malaria Infection in Travelers Returning to France.

Malaria is the most common human parasitic disease in the world with the highest morbidity and mortality. Due to the severity of malaria caused by and the urgency of therapeutic management, quick and reliable diagnosis is required for early detection. Blood smear microscopy remains the gold standard for malaria diagnosis.

Methylene Blue-Based Combination Therapy with Amodiaquine Prevents Severe Malaria in an Experimental Rodent Model.

Untreated malaria can progress rapidly to severe forms (<24 h). Moreover, resistance to antimalarial drugs is a threat to global efforts to protect people from malaria. Given this, it is clear that new chemotherapy must be developed.

Nosocomial Malaria Transmissions Resolved by Genomic Analyses-A Retrospective Case Report Study in France: 2007-2021.

Background: Exposure of blood to malaria parasites can lead to infection even in the absence of the mosquito vector. During a stay in a healthcare facility, accidental inoculation of the skin with blood from a malaria patient might occur, referred to as nosocomial malaria.

Methods: Between 2007 and 2021, we identified 6 autochthonous malaria cases that occurred in different French hospitals, originating from nosocomial transmission and imported malaria cases being the infection source.

Analysis of trapped mosquito excreta as a noninvasive method to reveal biodiversity and arbovirus circulation.

Emerging and endemic mosquito-borne viruses can be difficult to detect and monitor because they often cause asymptomatic infections in human or vertebrate animals or cause nonspecific febrile illness with a short recovery waiting period. Some of these pathogens circulate into complex cryptic cycles involving several animal species as reservoir or amplifying hosts. Detection of cases in vertebrate hosts can be complemented by entomological surveillance, but this method is not adapted to low infection rates in mosquito populations that typically occur in low or nonendemic areas.

Comparative Assessment of the Sensitivity of Ten Commercial Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits for the Detection of .

Malaria is one of the most common tropical diseases encountered by members of the French military who are deployed in operations under constrained conditions in malaria-endemic areas. Blood smear microscopy-the gold standard for malaria diagnosis-is often not available in such settings, where the detection of malaria relies on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). Ten RDTs (from Biosynex, Carestart, Humasis, SD Bioline, and CTK Biotech), based on the detection of the histidine-rich protein 2 (HRP2) or lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH, PfLDH, or PvLDH), were assessed against 159 samples collected from imported malaria cases, including 79 , 37 , 22 , and 21 parasites.

Development and Optimization of a Selective Whole-Genome Amplification To Study Plasmodium ovale Spp.

Since 2010, the human-infecting malaria parasite Plasmodium ovale spp. has been divided into two genetically distinct species, P. ovale wallikeri and P.

Prevalence of Mutations in the , and Genes of Malarial Parasites Isolated from Symptomatic Patients in Dogondoutchi, Niger.

The effectiveness of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) depends not only on that of artemisinin but also on that of partner molecules. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of mutations in the , and genes from isolates collected during a clinical study. genomic DNA samples extracted from symptomatic malaria patients from Dogondoutchi, Niger, were sequenced by the Sanger method to determine mutations in the (codons 51, 59, 108, and 164), (codons 436, 437, 540, 581, and 613), and (codons 86, 184, 1034, and 1246) genes.

Impact of Chemoprophylaxis on Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale Infection Among Civilian Travelers: A Nested Case-Control Study With a Counterfactual Approach on 862 Patients.

Background: The impact of chemoprophylaxis targeting Plasmodium falciparum on Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale, which may remain quiescent as hypnozoites in the liver, is debated.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control analysis of the outcomes of P. vivax and P.

Copper (I)-Chloroquine Complexes: Interactions with DNA and Ferriprotoporphyrin, Inhibition of β-Hematin Formation and Relation to Antimalarial Activity.

A new Cu(I)-chloroquine (CQ) complex [Cu(CQ)(PPh)]NO () was synthesized and characterized, and its mechanism of action studied concomitant with the previously reported complex [Cu(CQ)]Cl (). These copper (I) coordination compounds can be considered as potential antimalarial agents because they show better inhibition of the CQ-resistant strain in in vitro studies than CQ alone. In comparison with other metal-CQ complexes, only the gold complex was similar to (), i.

Declines in prevalence alter the optimal level of sexual investment for the malaria parasite .

Successful infectious disease interventions can result in large reductions in parasite prevalence. Such demographic change has fitness implications for individual parasites and may shift the parasite's optimal life history strategy. Here, we explore whether declining infection rates can alter 's investment in sexual versus asexual growth.

Synthesis, Anti-Plasmodial Activities, and Mechanistic Insights of 4-Aminoquinoline-Triazolopyrimidine Hybrids.

In the search of new antiplasmodial agents, a multitargeted approach was used in the synthesis of triazolopyrimidine- and 4-aminoquinolines-based hybrids. antiplasmodial evaluation on chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and -resistant (W2) strains identified triazolopyrimidine-4-aminoquinoline hybrids to be the most potent in the series, outperforming bis-triazolopyrimidines. The active compounds were subjected to mechanistic studies with the plausible and expected targets including heme, PfCRT, and PfDHODH, that eventually validated the biological data.

A Hybrid of Amodiaquine and Primaquine Linked by Gold(I) Is a Multistage Antimalarial Agent Targeting Heme Detoxification and Thiol Redox Homeostasis.

Hybrid-based drugs linked through a transition metal constitute an emerging concept for intervention. To advance the drug design concept and enhance the therapeutic potential of this class of drugs, we developed a novel hybrid composed of quinolinic ligands amodiaquine (AQ) and primaquine (PQ) linked by gold(I), named [AuAQPQ]PF. This compound demonstrated potent and efficacious antiplasmodial activity against multiple stages of the life cycle.

Altered Subpopulations of Red Blood Cells and Post-treatment Anemia in Malaria.

In acute malaria, the bulk of erythrocyte loss occurs after therapy, with a nadir of hemoglobin generally observed 3-7 days after treatment. The fine mechanisms leading to this early post-treatment anemia are still elusive. We explored pathological changes in RBC subpopulations by quantifying biochemical and mechanical alterations during severe malaria treated with artemisinin derivatives, a drug family that induce "pitting" in the spleen.

Antiviral Activity of Repurposing Ivermectin against a Panel of 30 Clinical SARS-CoV-2 Strains Belonging to 14 Variants.

Over the past two years, several variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged and spread all over the world. However, infectivity, clinical severity, re-infection, virulence, transmissibility, vaccine responses and escape, and epidemiological aspects have differed between SARS-CoV-2 variants. Currently, very few treatments are recommended against SARS-CoV-2.

Intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and parasite resistance: cross-sectional surveys from antenatal care visit and delivery in rural Ghana.

Background: Despite decades of prevention efforts, the burden of malaria in pregnancy (MiP) remains a great public health concern. Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), used as intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp-SP) is an important component of the malaria prevention strategy implemented in Africa. However, IPTp-SP is under constant threat from parasite resistance, thus requires regular evaluation to inform decision-making bodies.