Iron deficiency during pregnancy is associated with a reduced risk of adverse birth outcomes in a malaria-endemic area in a longitudinal cohort study
September 20, 2018
Anemia and iron deficiency are common in malaria-endemic regions, but there are concerns regarding the value of iron supplementation among pregnant women in malaria-endemic areas due to reports that iron supplementation may increase the risk of malaria. There is a lack of evidence on the impact of iron deficiency on pregnancy outcomes in malaria-endemic regions
In a cohort of pregnant women in Papua New Guinea, it was found that iron deficiency was highly prevalent and associated with substantially reduced odds of low birth weight. This affect appeared to be only partly through malaria-protective mechanisms, and other protective mechanisms may be involved. The findings suggest that suggest that iron supplementation needs to be integrated with other strategies to prevent or treat infections and undernutrition in pregnancy to achieve substantial improvements in birth outcomes.
Artemisinin kills malaria parasites by damaging proteins and inhibiting the proteasome
September 18, 2018
Artemisinin and its derivatives (collectively referred to as ARTs) rapidly reduce the parasite burden in Plasmodium falciparum infections, and antimalarial control is…
Investigating the efficacy of triple artemisinin-based combination therapies (TACTs) for treating Plasmodium falciparum malaria patients using mathematical modelling
August 27, 2018
The first line treatment for uncomplicated falciparum malaria is artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), which consists of an artemisinin derivative co-administered…
Within-host modeling of blood-stage malaria
August 11, 2018
Malaria infection continues to be a major health problem worldwide and drug resistance in the major human parasite species, Plasmodium…
Implications of population-level immunity for the emergence of artemisinin-resistant malaria: a mathematical model.
August 2, 2018
Background Artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum has emerged in the Greater Mekong Subregion, an area of relatively low transmission, but has yet…
The effect of chloroquine dose and primaquine on Plasmodium vivax recurrence: a WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network systematic review and individual patient pooled meta-analysis
July 19, 2018
Background Chloroquine remains the mainstay of treatment for Plasmodium vivax malaria despite increasing reports of treatment failure. We did a systematic review…
Identity-by-descent analyses for measuring population dynamics and selection in recombining pathogens
May 23, 2018
Describes a novel algorithm for measuring relatedness between malaria parasites and other recombining pathogens, and to identify specific genes under selection. The research paves the way for defining transmission networks and to track the origins and spread of drug resistance.
Human antibodies activate complement against Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites, and are associated with protection against malaria in children
April 30, 2018
Background Antibodies targeting Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites play a key role in human immunity to malaria. However, antibody mechanisms that neutralize…
Burden, pathology, and costs of malaria in pregnancy: new developments for an old problem
April 1, 2018
This article reviews progress over the previous 10 years in understanding the pathogenesis, burden and costs of malaria in pregnancy. It was produced by the Malaria in Pregnancy Consortium.
Proteome-wide mapping of immune features onto Plasmodium protein three-dimensional structures
March 12, 2018
Humoral immune responses against the malaria parasite are an important component of a protective immune response. Antibodies are often directed…