Tag: Malaria

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and ConditionsTags :

New Research Finds that Ivermectin Reduces Malaria Transmission

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A collaborative new study involving KEMRI-Wellcome Trust researchers has highlighted a new way to control malaria transmission. The study found that ivermectin, a drug normally used for neglected tropical diseases, led to a 26% reduction in new malaria infections among children aged 5-15 by killing feeding mosquitoes.

Malaria remains a global health challenge, with 263 million cases and 597 000 deaths reported in 2023. Current vector control methods, such as long-lasting insecticidal nets and indoor residual spraying, have become less effective due to insecticide resistance and behavioural adaptations in mosquitoes to bite outdoors and during dusk or dawn, when people are not protected by these measures. This underscores the urgent need for innovative solutions to combat malaria.

The BOHEMIA trial, the largest study on ivermectin for malaria to date, showed a 26% reduction in new malaria infection on top of existing bed nets,providing strong evidence of ivermectin’s potential as a complementary tool in malaria control. Coordinated by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – an institution supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation – in collaboration with the Manhiça Health Research Centre and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, the study has been published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Ivermectin is a drug traditionally used to treat neglected tropical diseases like onchocerciasis which causes river blindness and lymphatic filariasis which causes elephantiasis. It has now been shown to reduce malaria transmission by killing the mosquitoes that feed on treated individuals. Given the rising resistance to conventional insecticides, ivermectin could offer an effective new approach totackle malaria transmission, especially in regions where traditional methods have become less effective.

The Unitaid-funded BOHEMIA project (Broad One Health Endectocide-based Malaria Intervention in Africa) conducted two Mass Drug Administration (MDA) trials in the high-burden malaria regions: Kwale County (Kenya) and Mopeia district (Mozambique). The trials assessed the safety and efficacy of a single monthly dose of ivermectin (400mcg/kg) given for three consecutive months at the start of the rainy season in reducing malaria transmission. In Kenya, the intervention targeted children aged 5–15, while in Mozambique it focused on children under five.

In Kwale County, Kenya, children who received ivermectin experienced a 26% reduction in malaria infection incidence compared to those who received the control drug. The trial involved over 20 000 participants and more than 56 000 treatments, demonstrating that ivermectin significantly reduced malaria infection rates – particularly among children living further from cluster borders or in areas where drug distribution was more efficient. Moreover, the safety profile of ivermectin was favourable, with no severe drug-related adverse events and only mild, transient side effects already seen with ivermectin in campaigns against neglected tropical diseases.

Professor Marta Maia, Associate Professor at the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health and Medical Entomologist based at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, said: ‘The findings suggest that ivermectin MDA could be a valuable complementary strategy for malaria control, particularly in areas where mosquito resistance to insecticides is a growing concern.’

Dr Joseph Mwangangi, Senior Principal Research Scientist at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, added: ‘These results align with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) criteria for new vector control tools.’

Carlos Chaccour, co-principal investigator of the BOHEMIA project said: ‘We are thrilled with these results. Ivermectin has shown great promise in reducing malaria transmission and could complement existing control measures. With continued research, ivermectin MDA could become an effective tool for malaria control and even contribute to elimination efforts.’

In contrast, the implementation of the Mozambique trial in the rural district of Mopeia faced severe disruptions due to Cyclone Gombe in 2022 and a subsequent cholera outbreak, which significantly disrupted operations.

Francisco Saúte, director of the Manhiça Health Research Centre said: ‘One of the most important lessons we learned from the trial in Mopeia is thatstrong community engagement is essential. Building trust with local communities and fostering close collaboration with the Health Ministry, National Malaria Control Program, and local authorities was key to ensuring acceptance of the ivermectin MDA.’

In addition to reducing malaria transmission, ivermectin MDA offers significant collateral benefits. The BOHEMIA team found an important reduction in the prevalence of skin infestations such as scabies and head lice in the ivermectin group in Mozambique, and the community reported a major reduction in bed bugs in Kenya. These effects are particularly valuable when ivermectin is integrated into existing delivery systems, maximising its impact on public health.

The study is part of a larger global effort to assess ivermectin’s potential in malaria control. The findings have been reviewed by the WHO vector control advisory group, which concluded that the study had demonstrated impact and recommended further studies. Findings were also shared with national health authorities as they evaluate the potential inclusion of ivermectin in malaria control programmes.

Regina Rabinovich, BOHEMIA PI and Director of ISGlobal’s Malaria Elimination Initiative said: ‘This research has the potential to shape the future of malaria prevention, particularly in endemic areas where existing tools are failing. With its novel mechanism of action and proven safety profile, ivermectin could offer a new approach using a well-known, safe drug that can add to the effect of other mosquito control tools available today.’

Source: Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford

Categories : Healthcare Politics and RegulationsTags :

Global Fund to Cut R1.4-Billion to SA for HIV, TB and Malaria

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Photo by Reynaldo #brigworkz Brigantty

By Liezl Human

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria (Global Fund) has notified Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi that it will reduce funding to South Africa by R1.4-billion.

Global Fund said it would be reducing allocations for the seventh grant cycle from R8.5-billion to about R7.1-billion, a 16% reduction. Of this, 55% would be allocated to the National Department of Health and the rest to non-profit organisations such as the Networking HIV & AIDS Community of Southern Africa, Beyond Zero, and the AIDS Foundation of South Africa.

The fund informed recipient countries in May that it would be revising over 200 grants amidst funding shortfalls.

Global Fund was established in 2002 and provides funding for HIV, TB and malaria programmes in over 100 countries. According to its 2024 results report, 72% of its funding from 2021 to 2024 went to sub-Saharan Africa.

Other African countries also received notification of funding cuts. Mozambique’s allocation decreased by 12%, Malawi’s by 8% and Zimbabwe by 11%.

The shortfall in funding is due to Global Fund not having received money pledged by national governments. Over US$4 billion of the shortfall is due to the United States not fulfilling its pledge.

We reported last month how Mozambique’s health system has crumbled amidst USAID funding cuts.

In South Africa, funding cuts from PEPFAR earlier this year have led to clinics closing down, health staff getting retrenched, and people struggling to access HIV medication.

“As you know, the external financing landscape for global health programs is going through significant changes, with substantial impact on lifesaving services for the fight against the three diseases and health and community systems,” the Global Fund said in its letter to South African representatives.

The letter continued that while the Global Fund has “received some significant donor payments in recent days”, prospects to give the full grant cycle 7 (GC7) pledges “remain highly uncertain” and still face a risk of funding shortfalls.

“This is a difficult and unavoidable decision, which may require your country to reconsider how best to use the remaining GC7 grant amounts together with domestic resources and other sources of funds to keep saving lives,” the Global Fund said.

Foster Mohale, Department of Health spokesperson, said that the funding cut did not come as a surprise. Mohale said the department is “working with the provinces” to ensure that “service delivery” is not disrupted, and to apply measures to ensure “efficient use of limited resources”.

Republished from GroundUp under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Read the original article.

Categories : Expert Opinion Healthcare Politics and RegulationsTags :

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Should Step up Efforts

On By Peter Van Dyk
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The international community must protect global responses to HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria to serve humanity’s collective interests, according to an opinion article published May 14, 2025, in the open-access journal PLOS Global Public Health by Gorik Ooms from the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium, and colleagues.

Within days of starting his second term as President, Donald Trump ended most United States (US) contributions to global health. Global responses to HIV, TB and malaria are not the only programs affected but were particularly dependent on US support. The US withdrawal from global health could result in 3 million additional HIV deaths and 10 million additional HIV infections, 107 000 additional malaria deaths and 15 million additional malaria infections, and 2 million additional TB deaths, all in 2025.

HIV, TB and malaria are global health security threats that require international collective action. The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund) entered its replenishment cycle for 2027–2029, with a target of $18 billion. A failure of this replenishment would make it impossible for many countries to compensate for decreasing US funding and decreasing Global Fund support.

The abrupt end of most US funding for global health comes at a crucial moment for the fight against the three epidemics. For HIV, funding cuts are disrupting treatment and prevention, and increasing morbidity, mortality and infections especially among marginalised groups. The transmission of TB remains high due to insufficient access to treatment, urbanisation and undernutrition. Control of malaria remains elusive due to emerging resistance to treatments, and insecticides, gaps in prevention, and limited access to healthcare.

According to the authors, the reduction of US bilateral aid calls for re-prioritisation and enhanced coordination of the global fights against HIV, TB and malaria. Currently, the Global Fund is uniquely positioned to undertake this endeavour, as it financially supports HIV, TB and malaria programs in most, if not all, countries affected by US spending cuts. This requires a successful replenishment, which seems improbable given uncertainty about the US position and considering the aid spending cuts announced by other high-income countries. Low- and middle-income countries need to step in, which necessitates an overhaul of the Global Fund governance.

The authors outline four action points. First, all countries, regardless of income level, should support the current replenishment of the Global Fund. Second, the replenishment mechanism should move toward agreed and fair assessed contributions, such as 0.01% of the annual gross domestic product of all countries. Third, the Global Fund should commit to overhauling its governance structures to promote equal representation among geographical constituencies. Fourth, the Global Fund should commit to adhere to the Lusaka Agenda, which captures consensus around five key shifts for the long-term evolution of global health initiatives and the wider health ecosystem.

As noted by the authors, these four actions would save essential elements of the global responses to HIV, TB and malaria and set a central and collaborative mechanism for global health security on a path toward the principles of global public investment.

Dr Gorik Ooms adds: “Richer countries still view global health cooperation primarily as aid, from them to poorer countries. They do not seem to realise how this cooperation also protects their own interests. We must not only find enough funding to sustain it; but also rethink how we work together. Through genuine international cooperation between equal partners.”

Co-author Dr Raffaella Ravinetto concludes: “It is not only a matter of keeping life-saving programs alive. It is also a matter of building and maintaining a solid ecosystem, encompassing health infrastructure, policies and human resources, to make quality health care feasible everywhere. Through solidarity we can serve common interests.”

Provided by PLOS

Freely available article: https://plos.io/4djaJ2H

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Global Public Health: https://plos.io/4djaJ2H

Contact: Anna Dams, adams@itg.be, Ph.: +32 477 45 88 38; Gorik Ooms, gooms@itg.be, Ph./WhatsApp: +32 465 829 858   

Image Caption: A person holds medications. Limited access to diagnostics and medicines will worsen treatment quality, inducing resistance to antiretrovirals and medicines for infections.

Image Credit: Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), Antwerp, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and Conditions PaediatricsTags :

High Uric Acid Levels Linked to Mortality in Children with Severe Malaria

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Red Blood Cell Infected with Malaria Parasites Colourised scanning electron micrograph of red blood cell infected with malaria parasites (teal). The small bumps on the infected cell show how the parasite remodels its host cell by forming protrusions called ‘knobs’ on the surface, enabling it to avoid destruction and cause inflammation. Uninfected cells (red) have smoother surfaces. Credit: NIAID

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers and their collaborators in Uganda at the Makerere University School of Medicine have uncovered a significant connection between elevated uric acid levels and life-threatening outcomes in children with severe malaria.

Published in Nature Medicine, the study identified hyperuricaemia – high uric acid levels – as a potential contributor to increased mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental challenges in children with severe malaria. These findings open the door to future research that could improve treatment strategies for children affected by severe malaria, a disease caused by mosquito-transmitted parasites and a leading cause of death in African children.

“Our findings show that hyperuricemia is strongly associated with death in the hospital and after discharge and with long-term cognitive impairment in children with severe malaria,” said Chandy C. John, MD, paediatrics professor at IU School of Medicine, who co-led the study. “We also showed several mechanisms by which hyperuricaemia may lead to these outcomes, suggesting that hyperuricaemia is not just associated with bad outcomes but may contribute to them.”  

The researchers analysed data from two independent groups of children with severe malaria in Uganda and found that 25% had hyperuricaemia. This condition is caused by excess uric acid, which is a harmful body waste substance found in blood. The primary drivers of hyperuricaemia in study participants were broken-down infected red blood cells and kidney injury, which reduces the body’s ability to get rid of the extra uric acid. 

In the study, hyperuricemia was linked to four negative outcomes in children with severe malaria: serious health complications like coma and anaemia, a higher risk of death during hospitalisation, a higher risk of death after discharge from the hospital, and long-term cognitive impairment in survivors.  

The study also revealed that children with hyperuricemia had more harmful gut bacteria, which can cross the injured gut lining and cause sepsis. Together, these findings highlight a need for clinical trials to test the effectiveness of uric acid-lowering medications as an additional treatment for severe malaria. 

“Additional studies are needed to determine whether lowering uric acid in children with severe malaria might reduce hospital deaths, post-discharge deaths and long-term cognitive impairment,” said Andrea Conroy, PhD, associate professor of paediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and co-leader of the study. “Our hope is that these studies will provide new insights and potentially lead to improved treatments that save lives.” 

This research builds on the team’s recent discovery of partial resistance to the primary treatment for malaria in African children with severe malaria. Both studies underscore the importance of prioritizing new strategies to combat malaria, which affected 263 million people and caused nearly 600,000 deaths worldwide in 2023.

Source: Indiana University

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and ConditionsTags :

Resistance to Artemisinin Found in African Children with Severe Malaria

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Indiana University School of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at Makerere University in Uganda, have uncovered evidence of partial resistance to artemisinin derivatives – the primary treatment for malaria – in young children with severe, or “complicated,” malaria. 

Earlier studies have shown partial resistance to artemisinin in children with uncomplicated malaria, but the new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), is the first to document such resistance in African children with well-defined signs of severe disease from malaria. 

“Artemisinin-based therapies have been quintessential in the fight against malaria for the past 20 years,” said corresponding author Chandy C. John, MD, the professor of paediatrics at the IU School of Medicine. “Growing evidence of artemisinin partial resistance in African children with uncomplicated malaria has led to concerns that new therapies, like triple artemisinin combination therapies, may be needed in uncomplicated malaria. The findings of artemisinin partial resistance in children with severe or complicated malaria, as well as the findings of a high rate of recurrent malaria with current standard treatment in these areas raise the question of whether new treatments are needed for severe malaria as well.”

Led by John and co-authors Ruth Namazzi, MBChB, MMEd, and Robert Opoka, MD, MPH, of Makerere University; Ryan Henrici, MD, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania; and Colin Sutherland, PhD, MPH, of the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the study examined 100 Ugandan children aged 6 months to 12 years who were undergoing treatment for severe malaria complications caused by Plasmodium falciparum, the deadly malaria parasite transmitted by mosquitos. 

In the study, 10 children had parasites with genetic mutations previously associated with artemisinin partial resistance. The most common mutation, which was seen in eight of these children, was associated with a longer parasite clearance half-life — the time it takes the parasite’s burden in the body to reach half of its initial level. The study also showed that 10% of children returned within 28 days of treatment with an infection from the same malaria strain they had during their original admission. These were all children who had received complete intravenous and then oral treatment for severe malaria, and all had cleared the parasite by microscopic examination. John said these findings suggest that the standard intravenous and oral treatment lowers the parasite level to where it cannot be detected by microscopy, but it does not completely eliminate the parasite in some children.   

Reports of artemisinin resistance first surfaced in Southeast Asia in 2008 before emerging in East Africa, a trend the IU research team unexpectedly observed through their ongoing work in Uganda. While studying why severe malaria develops in children, the researchers noticed slower responses to artemisinin in some of their Ugandan study participants, prompting the present study. 

“The study findings point to a need for more data on artemisinin resistance and recurrence of clinical malaria in children with severe malaria,” John said. “If our study findings are confirmed in other areas, that would suggest that treatment guidelines for severe malaria may require revision.”  

John presented the study’s results at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene on Nov. 14 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Source: Indiana University

Categories : Paediatrics VaccinesTags :

Maternal Antibodies in Infants Interfere with Malaria Vaccine Responses

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Maternal antibodies passed across the placenta can interfere with the response to the malaria vaccine, which would explain its lower efficacy in infants under five months of age, according to research led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), in collaboration with seven African centers (CISM-Mozambique, IHI-Tanzania, CRUN-Burkina Faso, KHRC-Ghana, NNIMR-Ghana, CERMEL-Gabon, KEMRI-Kenya).

The findings, published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggest that children younger than currently recommended by the WHO may benefit from the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines if they live in areas with low malaria transmission, where mothers have less antibodies to the parasite.

The world has reached an incredible milestone: the deployment of the first two malaria vaccines –RTS,S/AS01E and the more recent R21/Matrix-M– to protect African children against malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Both vaccines target a portion of the parasite protein called circumsporozoite (CSP) and are recommended for children aged 5 months or more at the moment of the first dose.

“We know that the RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine is less effective in infants under five months of age, but the reason for this difference is still debated,” says Carlota Dobaño, who leads the Malaria Immunology group at ISGlobal, a centre supported by “la Caixa” Foundation. 

To investigate this, Dobaño and her team analysed blood samples from more than 600 children (age 5-17 months) and infants (age 6-12 weeks) who participated in the phase 3 clinical trial of RTS,S/AS01E. Using protein microarrays, they measured antibodies against 1000 P. falciparum antigens before vaccination to determine if and how malaria exposure and age affected IgG antibody responses to the malaria vaccine.

“This microarray approach allowed us to accurately measure malaria exposure at the individual level, including maternal exposure for infants and past infections for older children,” says Didac Maciá, ISGlobal researcher and first author of the study. 

The role of maternal antibodies

The analysis of antibodies to P. falciparum in children who had received a control vaccine instead of RTS,S/AS01E revealed a typical “exposure” signature, with high levels in the first three months of life due to the passive transfer of maternal antibodies through the placenta, a decline during the first year of life, and then a gradual increase as a result of naturally acquired infections.

In children vaccinated with RTS,S/AS01E, antibodies induced by natural infections did not affect the vaccine response. However, in infants, high levels of antibodies to P. falciparum, presumably passed from their mothers during pregnancy, correlated with reduced vaccine responses. This effect was particularly strong for maternal anti-CSP antibodies targeting the central region of the protein. Conversely, infants with very low or undetectable maternal anti-CSP IgGs exhibited similar vaccine responses as those observed in children.

The molecular mechanisms underlying this interference by maternal antibodies are not fully understood, but the same phenomenon has been observed with other vaccines such as measles. 

Overall, these findings confirm something that was already suspected but not clearly demonstrated: despite their protective function, maternal anti-CSP antibodies, which decline within the first three to six months of life, may interfere with vaccine effectiveness. The higher the level of malaria transmission, the more maternal antibodies are transmitted to the baby, resulting in lower vaccine effectiveness. These findings further suggest that infants below five months of age may benefit from RTS,S or R21 vaccination in low malaria transmission settings, during outbreaks in malaria-free regions, or in populations migrating from low to high transmission settings.

“Our study highlights the need to consider timing and maternal malaria antibody levels to improve vaccine efficacy for the youngest and most vulnerable infants,” says Gemma Moncunill, ISGlobal researcher and co-senior author of the study, together with Dobaño.

Source: Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and ConditionsTags :

What Time at Night a Malaria Mosquito Bites Impacts Infection

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Researchers have discovered that what time of the night a malaria-bearing mosquito bites may have significant effect on the subsequent infection’s severity.

When mice are infected in the middle of the night with the parasites causing cerebral malaria, the symptoms of the disease are less severe than for those inflected during the day, and the spread of the parasites within the hosts is more limited, research teams from McGill University, the Douglas Research Centre and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre have discovered.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It kills more than half a million people each year, most of them children. Cerebral malaria is the deadliest form of the disease.

The researchers’ findings, published in the journals iScience and ImmunoHorizons, have the potential to lead to new treatment practices based on aligning medication with our circadian rhythms.

How circadian rhythms of host and parasite interact

Circadian rhythms are defined as physiological and behavioral oscillations with cycles of approximately 24 hours, matching the Earth’s rotation, that persist in the absence of environmental timing cues. These rhythms are regulated by a master clock in the brain, as well as by clocks located in most other organs and cell types throughout the organism.

“We explored how the circadian rhythms of both the host and the malaria parasite interact to affect the severity of the disease and the host’s ability to fight off the parasite,” said Priscilla Carvalho Cabral, a recent McGill PhD graduate who carried out the experiments described in two recent studies on the subject.

Nicolas Cermakian, Director of the Laboratory of Molecular Chronobiology, and the corresponding author of the two studies, noted, “The difference in a host’s response to infection depending on the time of day suggests that their circadian rhythms could be influencing the progression of the disease. How such immune clocks impact malaria has not been looked at before.”

An important advance in knowledge

In parasites and their animal hosts, as well as in most living organisms, many bodily functions are under circadian control. It is known, for instance, that the replication of malaria parasites inside the red blood cells of a host follows a daily rhythm. Previous work from the same team has already shown that another serious parasitic disease, leishmaniasis, is affected by host clocks: the time of infection influences the replication of the parasite as well as the immune response to it. In the new studies, the same was found to be true for cerebral malaria.

“Our results represent an important advance in knowledge since many of the mechanisms driving the rhythms in susceptibility to diseases, especially parasitic diseases, remain largely unknown,” says Martin Olivier, Director of the Laboratory for the Study of Host-Parasite Interaction, a professor in McGill’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology and co-author of the two studies.

Source: McGill University

Categories : GeneticsTags :

First DNA Study of Ancient Eastern Arabians Reveals Malaria Adaptation

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Photo by MJ RAHNAMA

People living in ancient Eastern Arabia appear to have developed resistance to malaria following the appearance of agriculture in the region around five thousand years ago, a new study published its in Cell Genomics reveals.

DNA analysis of the remains of four individuals from Tylos-period Bahrain (300 BCE to 600 CE) – the first ancient genomes from Eastern Arabia – revealed the malaria-protective G6PD Mediterranean mutation in three samples.

The discovery of the G6PD Mediterranean mutation in ancient Bahrainis suggests that many people in the region’s ancient populations may have enjoyed protection from malaria.

In the present day, among the populations examined, the G6PD mutation is detected at its peak frequency in the Emirates, the study indicates.

Researchers discovered that the ancestry of Tylos-period inhabitants of Bahrain comprises sources related to ancient groups from Anatolia, the Levant and Caucasus/Iran.

The four Bahrain individuals were genetically more like present-day populations from the Levant and Iraq than to Arabians.

Experts from Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Birmingham Dubai, and the University of Cambridge worked with the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and other Arabian institutes such as the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dubai, as well as research centres in Europe.

Lead researcher Rui Martiniano, from Liverpool John Moores University, commented: “According to our estimates, the G6PD Mediterranean mutation rose in frequency around five-to-six thousand years ago — coinciding with the onset of agriculture in the region, which would have created ideal conditions for the proliferation of malaria.”

Due to poor ancient DNA preservation in hot and humid climates, no ancient DNA from Arabia has been sequenced until now — preventing the direct examination of the genetic ancestry of its past populations.

Marc Haber, from the University of Birmingham Dubai, commented: “By obtaining the first ancient genomes from Eastern Arabia, we provide unprecedented insights into human history and disease progression in this region. This knowledge goes beyond historical understanding, providing predictive capabilities for disease susceptibility, spread, and treatment, thus promoting better health outcomes.”

“The rich population history of Bahrain, and more generally of Arabia, has been severely understudied from a genetic perspective. We provide the first genetic snapshot of past Arabian populations – obtaining important insights about malaria adaptation, which was historically endemic in the region,” commented Fatima Aloraifi, from the Mersey and West Lancashire NHS Trust.

Salman Almahari, Director of Antiquities and Museums at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, states, “Our study also paves the way for future research that will shed light on human population movements in Arabia and other regions with harsh climates where it is difficult to find well-preserved sources of DNA.”

Data gathered from the analysis of the four individuals’ remains allowed researchers to characterise the genetic composition of the region’s pre-Islamic inhabitants – insights that could only have been obtained by directly examining ancient DNA sequences.

Researchers collected ancient human remains from archaeological collections stored at the Bahrain National Museum, gathering DNA from 25 of them. Only four samples were sequenced to higher coverage due to poor preservation.

The finding of malaria adaptation agrees with archaeological and textual evidence that suggested malaria was historically endemic in Eastern Arabia, whilst the DNA ancestry of Tylos-period inhabitants of Bahrain corroborates archaeological evidence of interactions between Bahrain and neighbouring regions.

Source: University of Birmingham

Categories : Immune SystemTags :

‘Junk Cells’ Actually Have a Powerful Role against Malaria

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Red blood cell Infected with malaria parasites. Colourised scanning electron micrograph of red blood cell infected with malaria parasites (teal). The small bumps on the infected cell show how the parasite remodels its host cell by forming protrusions called ‘knobs’ on the surface, enabling it to avoid destruction and cause inflammation. Uninfected cells (red) have smoother surfaces. Credit: NIAID

Researchers from The Australian National University (ANU) have discovered a previously unknown ability of a group of immune system cells, known as Atypical B cells (ABCs), to fight infectious diseases such as malaria.

The discovery, published in Science Immunology, provides new insight into how the immune system fights infections and brings scientists a step closer to harnessing the body’s natural defences to combat malaria.

The scientists say ABCs could also be key to developing new treatments for chronic autoimmune conditions such as lupus. According to the researchers, ABCs have long been associated with malaria, as malaria patients have more of these cells in their system compared to the general population.

“In this study, we wanted to understand the mechanisms that drive the creation of ABCs in the immune system, but also find out whether these cells are good or bad for us when it comes to fighting infection,” lead author Dr Xin Gao, from ANU, said.

“Although ABCs are known to contribute to chronic inflammatory diseases and autoimmunity, we’ve discovered a previously unknown ability of these cells to fight disease. In this sense, ABCs are like a double-edged sword.

“Contrary to past belief, ABCs are not junk cells; they are more important than we thought.

“Our research found that ABCs are also instrumental in developing T follicular helper cells. These helper cells generate powerful antibodies that help the body fight malaria parasites.

“Antibodies can block parasites in the blood as they travel from the site of the infectious mosquito bite to the liver, where the infection is first established.”

In 2022, malaria killed more than 600 000 people worldwide. Although the disease is preventable and curable, scientists face an uphill battle to find long-lasting treatments as malaria parasites continue to find new ways to build resistance to current therapies.

Using gene-editing technology on mice, the ANU researchers discovered a gene called Zeb2 is crucial to the production of ABCs.

“We found that manipulating the Zeb2 gene disrupted the creation of ABCs in the immune system,” study co-author Professor Ian Cockburn, from The ANU John Curtin School of Medical Research, said.

“Importantly, we found that mice without the Zeb2 gene were unable to control malaria infection.

“Therefore, the findings show that ABCs play a crucial role in fighting malaria infections.”

The researchers say targeting ABCs could also pave the way for new treatments for certain autoimmune diseases such as lupus.

“ABCs also appear in large numbers in many autoimmune diseases, including lupus, which can be life-threating in severe cases,” Professor Cockburn said.

“By developing a better understanding of the role of ABCs in the immune system and the cells’ role in fighting disease, it could bring us a step closer to one day developing new and more effective therapies.”

Source: Australian National University

Categories : Diseases, Syndromes and Conditions New Compounds and TreatmentsTags :

Autofluorescent Compound Paints a Bright Future for Antimalarial Research

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Red Blood Cell Infected with Malaria Parasites Colourised scanning electron micrograph of red blood cell infected with malaria parasites (teal). The small bumps on the infected cell show how the parasite remodels its host cell by forming protrusions called ‘knobs’ on the surface, enabling it to avoid destruction and cause inflammation. Uninfected cells (red) have smoother surfaces. Credit: NIAID

New compounds are continuously required due to the risk of malaria parasites becoming resistant to the medicines currently used. A team of researchers at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) combined the anti-malaria drug artemisinin with coumarin, and developed a compound from both bioactive plant-derived substances. This compound is also autofluorescent, making it particularly useful as it can be used for imaging in live cells.

The working group, led by Prof Dr Svetlana B. Tsogoeva, also discovered that the autofluorescent artemisinin-coumarin hybrids are able to destroy a certain drug-resistant malaria pathogen called Plasmodium palcifarum. They published their findings in the journal Chemical Science.

Artemisinin is a highly-effective and common ingredient for the manufacture of malaria medication gained from a plant called sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.). Coumarin is a secondary plant compound found in various plants.

In the development of drugs against malaria, active substances such as artemisinin are labelled with fluorescent substances in order to identify how they act against malaria pathogens in precise chronological order using imaging techniques.

Combining substances to achieve autofluorescence

A significant disadvantage of labeling with fluorescent substances is the fact that they alter how the medication works.

For example, this means that in certain circumstances cells infected with malaria absorb a drug like artemisinin differently after fluorescent marking than previously.

The solubility of the drug can also change. This was avoided by the development of autofluorescent hybrids, which are compounds made of two or more basic compounds that are inherently fluorescent and whose mode of action can be precisely observed using imaging techniques.

Active agent with special skills

The team decided to combine artemisinin with bioactive coumarins because coumarin derivatives also possess anti-malaria properties. They can also be easily chemically altered so that they become extremely fluorescent.

The researchers discovered that it was not only possible to observe the mode of action of this first autofluorescent artemisinin-coumarin hybrid in living red blood cells infected with P. falciparum.

In conjunction with Prof. Barbara Kappes (Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, FAU) and Dr. Diogo R. M. Moreira (Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Fiocruz Bahia, Brazil), they also discovered that the active agent was highly effective against P. falciparum strains in vitro that are resistant to chloroquin and other malaria drugs.

Above all, however, the new compound also proved highly effective against the malaria pathogens in vivo in mouse models.

With the creation of the first autofluorescent artemisinin-coumarin hybrid, the FAU researchers hope that they have laid the foundation for the development of further autofluorescent agents for treating malaria and have made significant process in overcoming multi-drug resistance in the treatment of malaria.

Source: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg