Surveillance of vivax malaria vectors and civilian patients for malaria high-risk areas in northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces near the demilitarized zone,Republic of Korea, 2003–2006

After re-emergence of malaria in 1993, a continued increase in Plasmodium vivax cases was observed from 1993 to 2006 in northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon Provinces adjacent to the demilitarized zone separating North from South Korea. Annual parasite incidence per 1000 people ranged from 0.33 in 2004 to 0.89 in 2006. While malaria case rates declined (22.6%) in 2004, they increased 75.1% in 2005 and 51.7% in 2006 from the previous years. An initial incorrect diagnosis of 46.8% of malaria cases as common cold resulted in a mean delay of 1.3 days for the detection malarial parasites. Of the total cases, 10.2% from December to May were due to latent intrinsic incubation infections acquired the previous malaria season and the rest of the cases from June to November were either latent or short incubation infections. Overall, the peak anopheline population occurred from July to September, resulting in a similar peak in malaria cases. While malaria cases increased during 2005–2006, anopheline populations, based on trap indices, were not significantly different during 4 years of surveillance. To decrease the malaria patient infective period to mosquitoes, public health centers in Paju and Cheorwon in 2006 prescribed chloroquine + primaquine at days 0–3 after initial malaria diagnosis followed by an additional 11 days of primaquine (early primaquine treatment), rather than chloroquine on days 0–3 and primaquine on days 4–17 (delayed primaquine treatment). A reduction in the malaria parasite incidence during 2007 was recorded for the two locations offering the early primaquine treatment relative to other locations using the delayed primaquine treatment.     

Anopheles (Anopheles) neomaculipalpus: a new malaria vector in the Amazon basin?

Abstract. Anopheles (Anopheles) neomaculipalpus Curry (Diptera: Culicidae) collected by human landing catches and light traps in southern Venezuela were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of Plasmodium circumsporozoite (CS) protein. A total of 356 An. neomaculipalpus were collected, of which three (0.84%) were positive for P. vivax, two for the variant 247 and one for the variant 210. The overall sporozoite rate in An. neomaculipalpus was similar to that for the principal vector An. (Nyssorhynchus) darlingi Root (0.82%) and higher than in An. (Nys.) marajoara Galvão & Damasceno (0.27%). This is the first report of An. neomaculipalpus naturally infected with Plasmodium parasites in Venezuela.     

GnRH—a对大鼠海马和皮质部位parvalbumin表达的影响

目的：研究促性腺激素释放激素类似物（gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue,GnRH-a）对大鼠海马、皮质部位小白蛋白（parvalbumin,PV）表达的影响。方法：采用酶联免疫吸附试验测定血清激素水平,免疫组织化学和图像分析观察大鼠海马、皮质部位PV的表达。结果：①GnRH-a组大鼠血清雌二醇（estradiol,E2）、LH及FSH水平较正常对照组下降,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）;与OVX组比较LH、FSH较低,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,但E2差异不显著。②正常情况下,大鼠海马、皮质部位可观察到PV神经元及纤维分布。③GnRH-a组PV细胞数及灰度值低于正常对照组,差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）,与去卵巢组大鼠组相似;GnRH-a＋E2联合用药后,PV细胞数及灰度值与正常对照组相似。结论：GnRH-a降低大鼠海马、皮质部位神经元中PV的表达,从而影响神经元的功能,这可能与其用药后神经精神副反应有一定关系。     

Variation of antigenicity and serological reaction to Pneumocystis carinii in Korea.

The present study observed the variation of antigenicity of Pneumocystis carinii and serum IgG antibody reaction to the antigens from different localities in Korea. Antigens of rat P. carinii and sera of inhabitants were collected at Chunchon. Chungju, Kwangju, and Seoul during 1995-1996. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay and immunoblot were used for immune reaction. Absorbance of 1,294 human sera ranged between 0.01 and 0.93. Sera from Chunchon showed higher absorbances than those from other areas. Immunoblotting revealed IgG antibody reactions to 116, 100, and 45-55 kDa antigenic bands of rat P. carinii, but the frequencies of positive reaction to individual bands were variable by localities. Total 62.6% of the sera showed the reaction to 116 kDa band while 37.7% reacted to 100 kDa band and 32.0% to 45-55 kDa bands. For the reaction to 116 kDa, the reaction rate was 60.0% to 82.6% by localities. It is found that the reaction rates of the human sera to rat P. carinii antigen are variable according to the localities. Also, the high molecular antigen of 116 kDa of rat P. carinii is the most frequent antigenic band reacting to human sera.     

Antibodies to Anopheles midgut reduce vector competence for Plasmodium vivax malaria

Anopheles tessellatus mosquitoes ingested Plasmodium vivax gametocytes in human erythrocytes suspended in rabbit sera with and without anti-mosquito midgut antibodies. When the mosquito bloodmeal contained anti-midgut antibodies, fewer oocysts of P. vivax developed on the mosquito midgut and the proportion of mosquitoes becoming infected was significantly reduced. Complement inactivated serum also reduced the infection rate and load. A second bloodmeal containing anti-midgut antibodies, given 48 or 72 h later, did not enhance the transmission-blocking effect. IgG purified from antimidgut sera was shown to mediate the transmission-blocking effect.     

Interactions of human malaria parasites, Plasmodium wVaxand P.falciparum, with the midgut of Anopheles mosquitoes

Abstract Present understanding of the development of sexual stages of the human malaria parasites Plasmodium vivax and P.falciparum in the Anopheles vector is reviewed, with particular reference to the role of the mosquito midgut in establishing an infection. The sexual stages of the parasite, the gametocytes, are formed in human erythrocytes. The changes in temperature and pH encountered by the gametocyte induce gametogenesis in the lumen of the midgut. Macromolecules derived from mosquito tissue and second messenger pathways regulate events leading to fertilization. In An.tessellatus the movement of the ookinete from the lumen to the midgut epithelium is linked to the release of trypsin in the midgut and the peritrophic matrix is not a firm barrier to this movement. The passage of the P. vivax ookinete through the peritrophic matrix may take place before the latter is fully formed. The late ookinete development in P.falciparum requires chitinase to facilitate penetration of the peritrophic matrix. Recognition sites for the ookinetes are present on the midgut epithelial cells. N-acetyl glucosamine residues in the oligosaccharide side chains of An.tessellatus midgut glycoproteins and peritrophic matrix proteoglycan may function as recognition sites for P.vivax and P.falciparum ookinetes. It is possible that ookinetes penetrating epithelial cells produce stress in the vector. Mosquito molecules may be involved in oocyst development in the basal lamina, and encapsulation of the parasite occurs in vectors that are refractory to the parasite. Detailed knowledge of vector-parasite interactions, particularly in the midgut and the identification of critical mosquito molecules offers prospects for manipulating the vector for the control of malaria.     

Whole-genome sequencing of a Plasmodium vivax isolate from the China-Myanmar border area

Currently, there is a trend of an increasing number of Plasmodiumvivaxmalaria cases in China that are imported across its Southeast Asiaborder, especially in the China-Myanmar border area (CMB). To date, little is knownabout the genetic diversity of P. vivax in this region. In thispaper, we report the first genome sequencing of a P. vivaxisolate(CMB-1) from a vivax malaria patient in CMB. The sequencing data were aligned onto96.43% of the P. vivax Salvador I reference strain (Sal I) genomewith 7.84-fold coverage as well as onto 98.32% of 14 Sal I chromosomes. Usingthe de novo assembly approach, we generated 8,541 scaffolds andassembled a total of 27.1 Mb of sequence into CMB-1 scaffolds. Furthermore, weidentified all 295 known virgenes, which is the largest subtelomericmultigene family in malaria parasites. These results provide an important foundationfor further research onP. vivax population genetics.     

Host choice of anopheline mosquitoes in a malaria endemic area of western Venezuela

Abstract. Bloodmeals of exophilic anopheline mosquitoes collected resting on vegetation in a malaria endemic area in western Venezuela were identified by ELISA. Using a TMB peroxidase substrate in the ELISA, human bloodmeals were readily identified up to 40 h after ingestion in all laboratory-fed mosquitoes tested. Assay sensitivity declined to 75% identifiable 44 h post-feeding.
The Human Blood Index and the Feeding Index of each species differed between the three villages studied. An.triannulatus was generally more anthropophilic than An.nuneztovari and An.oswaldoi. These contrasting results emphasize the difficulties of interpreting host choice data.     

Anopheles gambiae eicosanoids modulate Plasmodium berghei survival from oocyst to salivary gland invasion

Eicosanoids affect the immunity of several pathogen/insect models, but their role on the Anopheles gambiae response to Plasmodium is still unknown. Plasmodium berghei-infected mosquitoes were injected with an eicosanoid biosynthesis inhibitor, indomethacin (IN), or a substrate, arachidonic acid (AA), at day 7 or day 12 post-infection (p.i.). Salivary gland invasion was evaluated by sporozoite counts at day 21 p.i. IN promoted infection upon sporozoite release from oocysts, but inhibited infection when sporozoites were still maturing within the oocysts, as observed by a reduction in the number of sporozoites reaching the salivary glands. AA treatment had the opposite effect. We show for the first time that An. gambiae can modulate parasite survival through eicosanoids by exerting an antagonistic or agonistic effect on the parasite, depending on its stage of development.     

Influence of age on the haemoglobin concentration of malaria-infected patients in a reference centre in the Brazilian Amazon

Anaemia is amongst the major complications of malaria, a major public health problem in the Amazon Region in Latin America. We examined the haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations of malaria-infected patients and compared it to that of malaria-negative febrile patients and afebrile controls. The haematological parameters of febrile patients who had a thick-blood-smear performed at an infectious diseases reference centre of the Brazilian Amazon between December 2009-January 2012 were retrieved together with clinical data. An afebrile community control group was composed from a survey performed in a malaria-endemic area. Hb concentrations and anaemia prevalence were analysed according to clinical-epidemiological status and demographic characteristics. In total, 7,831 observations were included. Patients with Plasmodium falciparum infection had lower mean Hb concentrations (10.5 g/dL) followed by P. vivax-infected individuals (12.4 g/dL), community controls (12.8 g/dL) and malaria-negative febrile patients (13.1 g/dL) (p < 0.001). Age, gender and clinical-epidemiological status were strong independent predictors for both outcomes. Amongst malaria-infected individuals, women in the reproductive age had considerably lower Hb concentrations. In this moderate transmission intensity setting, both vivax and falciparum malaria are associated with reduced Hb concentrations and risk of anaemia throughout a wide age range.