PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases最新文献

{"title":"Temporal trends in the incidence and case severity of COVID-19 cases among the Syrian refugees in Azraq camp in Jordan: A retrospective observational study.","authors":"Ahmad Waleed Zghool, Ahmad Alrawashdeh, Zaid I Alkhatib, Sara A Nasser, Natalya Kostandova, Shiromi M Perera, Jomana W Alsulaiman, Adi H Khassawneh, Abdel-Hameed W Al-Mistarehi, Amer Abu-Shanab, Khalid A Kheirallah","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012875","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012875","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Azraq Syrian refugee camp, located in Jordan, is where the challenges of managing the COVID-19 epidemic meet the vulnerabilities of displaced people. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological characteristics, incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of COVID-19 among Azraq camp residents.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>COVID-19 data from Azraq camp were collected by International Medical Corps clinics and analyzed retrospectively from August 1, 2020, to August 31, 2022. Data included demographics, risk factors, testing history, contact tracing, and vaccination profiles. We estimated COVID-19 incidence and analyzed risk factors using Poisson and multilevel logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 2,468 confirmed COVID-19 cases were identified, with a prevalence of 5.6 per 100 residents. The camp's monthly incidence rate was more than 50% lower than the national rate, with a 1.7% monthly decrease. Females had a higher incidence than males (6.4% vs. 4.9%, p < 0.001), while the elderly bore the greatest disease burden. Home-based isolation was the main strategy, except during the second wave. Vaccination coverage reached 31.6%, primarily with Pfizer (49.8%). Symptomatic cases made up 44.0% of confirmed cases, with 10.4% requiring hospitalization. Factors independently associated with hospitalization included age, comorbidity, and vaccination status.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study highlights the need for robust surveillance, targeted healthcare interventions, equitable resource allocation, and vaccination campaigns to manage COVID-19 and future epidemics in refugee camps.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012875"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11867313/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143460200","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of a multi-pronged cholera intervention in an endemic setting.","authors":"Alexandre Blake, Adam Walder, Ephraim M Hanks, Placide Okitayemba Welo, Francisco Luquero, Didier Bompangue, Nita Bharti","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012867","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012867","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cholera is a bacterial water-borne diarrheal disease transmitted via the fecal-oral route that causes high morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. It is preventable with vaccination, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) improvements. However, the impact of vaccination in endemic settings remains unclear. Cholera is endemic in the city of Kalemie, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where both seasonal mobility and the lake, a potential environmental reservoir, may promote transmission. Kalemie received a vaccination campaign and WASH improvements in 2013-2016. We assessed the impact of this intervention to inform future control strategies in endemic settings. We fit compartmental models considering seasonal mobility and environmentally-based transmission. We estimated the number of cases the intervention avoided, and the relative contributions of the elements promoting local cholera transmission. We estimated the intervention avoided 5,259 cases (95% credible interval: 1,576.6-11,337.8) over 118 weeks. Transmission did not rely on seasonal mobility and was primarily environmentally-driven. Removing environmental exposure or contamination could control local transmission. Repeated environmental exposure could maintain high population immunity and decrease the impact of vaccination in similar endemic areas. Addressing environmental exposure and contamination should be the primary target of interventions in such settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012867"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11838873/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143460198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of antibodies against dengue virus in the city of Buenos Aires: Results of a probabilistic population survey.","authors":"Cristián Biscayart, Patricia Angeleri, María Belén Bouzas, Lilia Mammana, Alejandro Macchia","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012886","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012886","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Dengue is a rapidly growing global health issue. In Argentina, the disease burden is primarily based on case reports or retrospective series; however, there are no prospective probabilistic studies available. To estimate the seroprevalence of antibodies against the dengue virus (DENV) in adult residents of Buenos Aires, at the end of the 2023 season, which culminated in Argentina's largest recorded dengue outbreak, and immediately before the subsequent outbreak at the beginning of 2024.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A stratified, multi-stage probabilistic population survey was conducted to ensure representativeness of the adult population of Buenos Aires, considering geographical and socio-economic diversity.The survey determined the seroprevalence rate of DENV IgG and IgM antibodies using a rapid chromatographic immunoassay. Antibody positive participants were invited for re-testing to confirm antibody result using an enzyme-linked fluorescence assay (ELFA) technique.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Out of a sampling frame of 2,998 selected households, the interviewers visited 100% of the residences. The overall response rate was 26.8%. A total of 804 participants were enrolled, representing the city's 2.38 million adult population. Weighted estimates showed a total of 193,707 people aged 18 and over have antibodies to DENV. This implies a weighted prevalence [95% CI] of 8.12% [8.08%-8.15%]. The prevalence varied across different areas of the city. In the slums, the overall prevalence was twice as high (14.7% [14.5%-14.9%]) compared to the rest of the city (7.67% [7.63%-7.70%]).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Seroprevalence results in adults in Buenos Aires show a moderate DENV infection rate, although still far from the thresholds usually considered for initiating a mass vaccination campaign. These results underscore the need for frequent surveys.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012886"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11856294/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143450671","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phylogenetic analysis of Mycobacterium bovis reveals animal and zoonotic tuberculosis spread between Morocco and European countries.","authors":"Hind Yahyaoui Azami, Claudia Perea, Tod Stuber, Mohammed Bouslikhane, Jaouad Berrada, Hamid Aboukhassib, Alberto Oscar Allepuz Palau, Ana C Reis, Mónica V Cunha, Tyler C Thacker, Suelee Robbe-Austerman, Liliana C M Salvador, Frederick D Quinn","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0011982","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0011982","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Livestock production is a fundamental pillar of the Moroccan economy. Infectious diseases of cattle and other species represent a significant threat to the livestock industry, animal health, and food safety. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), mainly caused by Mycobacterium bovis, generates considerable direct and indirect economic losses, and an underestimated human health burden caused by zoonotic transmission. Previous studies have suggested likely M. bovis transmission links between Morocco and Southern Europe, however, limitations inherent with the methods used prevented definitive conclusions. In this study, we employed whole genome sequencing analysis to determine the genetic diversity of the first 55 M. bovis whole-genomes in Morocco and to better define the phylogenetic links between strains from Morocco and a large dataset from related and neighboring countries. With a total of 780 M. bovis sequences extracted from cattle, wildlife or humans and representing 36 countries, we discovered two new M bovis spoligotypes in Morocco and that the Moroccan clonal complexes are classified as belonging to Europe or Unknown, supporting previous studies that the Sahara Desert might be playing a key role in preventing M. bovis transmission between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, our analysis showed a close M. bovis genetic relationship between cattle from Morocco and cattle from Spain, France, Portugal and Germany, and from cattle in Morocco and humans in Italy, Germany, and the UK. These results suggest that animal trade and human migration between Morocco and these countries might be playing a role in disease transmission. Our study benefits from a large sample size and a rich dataset that includes sequences from cattle, wildlife and humans from Morocco and neighboring countries, enabling the delineation of M. bovis genetic links across countries and host-species. Our study calls for further investigation of animal and zoonotic TB spread in Morocco and in other countries, which is important to inform future TB control measures at the animal-human interface.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0011982"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11892842/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143450668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Performance of real-time polymerase chain reaction and Kato-Katz for diagnosing soil-transmitted helminth infections and evaluating treatment efficacy of emodepside in randomized controlled trials.","authors":"Christian N Lotz, Emmanuel C Mrimi, Pierre H H Schneeberger, Said M Ali, Jan Hattendorf, Jennifer Keiser","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012872","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012872","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The World Health Organization recommends the use of the microscopy-based Kato-Katz thick smear for diagnosing soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections. Despite its simplicity and cost-effectiveness, the Kato-Katz method faces challenges, including reader subjectivity and reduced sensitivity. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technology offers standardized readouts and higher sensitivity, making it suitable for STH diagnosis and monitoring the treatment efficacy of emodepside within the framework of randomized controlled trials.</p><p><strong>Methodology/principal findings: </strong>We evaluated the performance of Kato-Katz versus qPCR for assessing treatment efficacy in terms of cure rates, of single doses of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mg of emodepside compared to 400 mg albendazole. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient examined the correlation between STH eggs per gram in stool samples and qPCR Ct values. Diagnostic sensitivity of qPCR was calculated using a Bayesian latent class modelling approach with data from Ascaris lumbricoides infections. Agreement between Kato-Katz and qPCR at baseline was 93.57% for Trichuris trichiura, and 73.49% for both hookworm and A. lumbricoides. For the latter helminth qPCR demonstrated higher sensitivity (85.00% vs. 47.70%) and slightly lower specificity (93.40% vs. 99.40%) compared to Kato-Katz. We observed a fair to moderate agreement with negative correlation between Ct values and Kato-Katz egg counts. Treatment efficacy, as assessed by qPCR, was lower for all doses of emodepside and albendazole compared to Kato-Katz. Nonetheless, emodepside demonstrated higher cure rates against T. trichiura and A. lumbricoides infections compared to albendazole.</p><p><strong>Conclusion/ significance: </strong>Our study confirmed that qPCR is a sensitive diagnostic method for diagnosing STH infections compared to Kato-Katz and serves as a valuable tool for determining treatment efficacy in clinical trials. Furthermore, qPCR confirmed the better treatment efficacy of emodepside compared to albendazole, despite indicating lower cure rates than Kato-Katz.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012872"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835329/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143450724","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Treatment heterogeneity of water, sanitation, hygiene, and nutrition interventions on child growth by environmental enteric dysfunction and pathogen status for young children in Bangladesh.","authors":"Zachary Butzin-Dozier, Yunwen Ji, Jeremy Coyle, Ivana Malenica, Elizabeth T Rogawski McQuade, Jessica Anne Grembi, James A Platts-Mills, Eric R Houpt, Jay P Graham, Shahjahan Ali, Md Ziaur Rahman, Mohammad Alauddin, Syeda L Famida, Salma Akther, Md Saheen Hossen, Palash Mutsuddi, Abul K Shoab, Mahbubur Rahman, Md Ohedul Islam, Rana Miah, Mami Taniuchi, Jie Liu, Sarah T Alauddin, Christine P Stewart, Stephen P Luby, John M Colford, Alan E Hubbard, Andrew N Mertens, Audrie Lin","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012881","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012881","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Water, sanitation, hygiene (WSH), nutrition (N), and combined (N+WSH) interventions are often implemented by global health organizations, but WSH interventions may insufficiently reduce pathogen exposure, and nutrition interventions may be modified by environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), a condition of increased intestinal permeability and inflammation. This study investigated the heterogeneity of these treatments' effects based on individual pathogen and EED biomarker status with respect to child linear growth.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We applied cross-validated targeted maximum likelihood estimation and super learner ensemble machine learning to assess the conditional treatment effects in subgroups defined by biomarker and pathogen status. We analyzed treatment (N+WSH, WSH, N, or control) randomly assigned in-utero, child pathogen and EED data at 14 months of age, and child HAZ at 28 months of age. We estimated the difference in mean child height for age Z-score (HAZ) under the treatment rule and the difference in stratified treatment effect (treatment effect difference) comparing children with high versus low pathogen/biomarker status while controlling for baseline covariates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We analyzed data from 1,522 children who had a median HAZ of -1.56. We found that fecal myeloperoxidase (N+WSH treatment effect difference 0.0007 HAZ, WSH treatment effect difference 0.1032 HAZ, N treatment effect difference 0.0037 HAZ) and Campylobacter infection (N+WSH treatment effect difference 0.0011 HAZ, WSH difference 0.0119 HAZ, N difference 0.0255 HAZ) were associated with greater effect of all interventions on anthropometry. In other words, children with high myeloperoxidase or Campylobacter infection experienced a greater impact of the interventions on anthropometry. We found that a treatment rule that assigned the N+WSH (HAZ difference 0.23, 95% CI (0.05, 0.41)) and WSH (HAZ difference 0.17, 95% CI (0.04, 0.30)) interventions based on EED biomarkers and pathogens increased predicted child growth compared to the randomly allocated intervention.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings indicate that EED biomarkers and pathogen status, particularly Campylobacter and myeloperoxidase (a measure of gut inflammation), may be related to the impact of N+WSH, WSH, and N interventions on child linear growth.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012881"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11882089/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143450738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research on health education and health promotion during the process of schistosomiasis elimination II Awareness among university students in endemic regions.","authors":"Jing Zhang, Shuying Xie, Huiqun Xie, Yifeng Li, Jun Ge, Junjiang Chen, Jun Wu, Fei Hu","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012865","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012865","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In China, health education served as the primary method for controlling schistosomiasis and had significantly contributed to the management of schistosomiasis epidemics. In contrast, university students who lived/studied in schistosomiasis-endemic areas were often in the risk zone for schistosomiasis infection as part of their social practice and leisure activities. Thus, the risk of schistosomiasis transmission remained widespread and chronic. This study will conduct a survey and analyzed schistosomiasis awareness among university students in colleges and universities in endemic areas. The aim was to optimize intervention strategies once transmission had been interrupted. Students from two colleges and universities in the city of Gongqingcheng on Lake Poyang were selected and asked to complete a questionnaire via the online platform Questionnaire Star- The survey assessed exposure to snail-infested water, knowledge about schistosomiasis, and preferences for health education methods among students who had traveled to snail breeding areas. The survey took place from April 2 to April 4, 2024. The survey results showed that of the 4,847 respondents (49% male, 51% female), 53.8% reported exposure to snail-infested environments near their schools, and 38.4% had direct contact with snail-infested water. Of these, with those who dug for wild vegetables exposed significantly more nonendemic than endemic students to snail water (13.93% vs. 8.42%, χ2 = 16.681, P = 0.000). Awareness of schistosomiasis was low (31.08%), with limited knowledge about transmission (30.58%) and symptoms (42.91%). Of these, students from endemic areas were significantly more aware of transmission and symptoms than those from nonendemic areas (36.52% vs. 27.22%, χ2 = 7.623, P = 0.006 & 50.17% vs. 38.80%, χ2 = 9.872, P = 0.002). Preferred education methods included mobile multimedia (72.75%), brochures (68.68%), and physical promotional items (66.58%). In general, the overall awareness of schistosomiasis among university students remained low. There was a need to enhance health education in schools to improve disease prevention awareness within this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012865"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11835237/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143450673","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Livestock production losses attributable to brucellosis in northern and central Tanzania: Application of an epidemiological-economic modelling framework.","authors":"Ângelo J F Mendes, Daniel T Haydon, William A de Glanville, Rebecca F Bodenham, AbdulHamid S Lukambagire, Paul C D Johnson, Gabriel M Shirima, Sarah Cleaveland, Emma McIntosh, Nick Hanley, Jo E B Halliday","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012814","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012814","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Livestock brucellosis is an endemic disease in many low-resource settings. Despite its widespread distribution, little is known about the scale of economic impacts caused by the disease. This study aimed to develop an integrated epidemiological-economic modelling framework to estimate production losses attributable to livestock brucellosis, using Tanzania as a case study. Data on livestock production and prevalence of exposure to Brucella spp. were obtained from surveys conducted in northern and central Tanzania between 2013 and 2019. A clustering algorithm was applied to classify households into pastoral and non-pastoral production systems. A Bayesian latent-class analysis model was applied to derive livestock brucellosis prevalence estimates. A herd-growth model was used to estimate production losses attributable to brucellosis. A total of 1,541 households (384 classified as pastoral and 1,157 as non-pastoral) contributed data on livestock production or prevalence of exposure to Brucella spp. The median (95% uncertainty interval, UI) individual-level brucellosis prevalence in cattle, sheep, and goats was 5.1% (3.4-6.9), 1.3% (0.1-3.0), and 2.5% (0.3-4.8) in the pastoral system, and 0.7% (0.1-1.6), 1.6% (0.2-3.8), and 2.5% (0.3-4.9) in the non-pastoral system, respectively. The median (95% UI) annual losses attributable to brucellosis in cattle, sheep, and goats, per infected animal, were 74.4 (26.2-211.7), 9.7 (3.4-23.1) and 10.6 (3.7-25.0) international dollars (int. $) in the pastoral system, and 62.3 (16.8-228.6), 6.3 (1.8-17.1) and 7.0 (2.2-17.9) int. $ in the non-pastoral system, respectively. Household-level losses were equivalent to 4.4% (2.1-8.8) and 0.6% (0.2-1.6) of the median (95% UI) livestock-derived income in the pastoral and non-pastoral systems, respectively. This study did not capture the system-wide impacts of brucellosis, including on human health. The estimated losses are only a part of the full societal economic impact of the disease. These results can be used to inform cost-benefit analyses of potential interventions and guide policy development for brucellosis control.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012814"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11828364/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143417130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spatial distribution of Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein copy number variation and Duffy genotype, and their association with parasitemia in Ethiopia.","authors":"Yasin Nasir, Eshetu Molla, Getnet Habtamu, Solomon Sisay, Legesse Alamerie Ejigu, Fikregabrail Aberra Kassa, Mulugeta Demisse, Wakweya Chali, Melat Abdo, Dawit Hailu Alemayehu, Lina Alemayehu, Alemayehu Letebo, Tadele Emiru, Jimma Dinsa Deressa, Tajudin Abdurhaman Hamza, Abel Beliyu Tamirat, Tadesse Misganaw, Alayu Bogale, Zufan Yiheyis Abriham, Sisay Dugassa, Migbaru Keffale, Fekadu Massebo, Hassen Mamo, Endalamaw Gadisa, Chris Drakeley, Alemayehu Godana Birhanu, Cristian Koepfli, Fitsum G Tadesse","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012837","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012837","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Duffy Binding Protein (PvDBP) binding to the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokine (DARC) is essential for Plasmodium vivax invasion of human reticulocytes. PvDBP copy number variation (CNV) might increase parasite invasion and thus parasitemia. We examined the spatial distribution of PvDBP CNVs and DARC genotypes and their association with parasitemia in P. vivax endemic settings in Ethiopia.</p><p><strong>Methodology/principal findings: </strong>P. vivax isolates (n = 435) collected from five P. vivax endemic settings in Ethiopia were genotyped by amplifying the GATA1 transcription factor-binding site of the Duffy blood group and the CNV of PvDBP was quantified. Parasitemia was determined using 18S-based qPCR. The majority of participants were Duffy positive (96.8%, 421/435). Of the few Duffy negative individuals, most (n = 8) were detected from one site (Gondar). Multiple copies of PvDBP were detected in 83% (363/435) isolates with significant differences between sites (range 60%-94%). Both heterozygous (p = 0.005) and homozygous (p = 0.006) patients were more likely to have been infected by parasites with multiple PvDBP copies than Duffy negatives. Parasitemia was higher among the Duffy positives (median 17,218 parasites/µL; interquartile range [IQR] 2,895-104,489) than Duffy negatives (170; 78-24,132, p = 0.004) as well as in infections with 2 to 3 PvDBP copies (20,468; 3,649-110,632, p = 0.001) and more than 3 PvDBP copies (17,139; 2,831-95,946, p = 0.004) than single copy (5,673; 249-76,605).</p><p><strong>Conclusions/significance: </strong>A high proportion of P. vivax infection was observed in Duffy positives in this study, yet few Duffy negatives were found infected with P. vivax. The significant prevalence of multi-copy PvDBP observed among Ethiopian P. vivax isolates explains the high prevalence and parasitemia observed in clinical cases. This suggests that vivax malaria is a public health concern in the country where the Duffy positive population predominates. Investigating the relative contribution to the maintenance of the infectious reservoir of infections with different genotyping backgrounds (both host and parasite) might be required.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012837"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11870341/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143415879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Incidence of loiasis clinical manifestations in a rural area of the Republic of Congo: Results from a longitudinal prospective study (the MorLo project).","authors":"Jérémy T Campillo, Biam-Miveck Pakat-Pambou, Bachiratou Sahm, Sébastien D S Pion, Marlhand C Hemilembolo, Elodie Lebredonchel, Michel Boussinesq, François Missamou, Cédric B Chesnais","doi":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012868","DOIUrl":"10.1371/journal.pntd.0012868","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Loiasis is endemic in Central Africa. Despite evidence of clinical complications and increased mortality, it remains excluded from the list of neglected tropical diseases. The main manifestations are Calabar swellings (CS), Eyeworm (EW) and non-specific general symptoms such arthralgia and pruritus. We calculated incidence rates for clinical manifestations of loiasis from a 13-month study on clinical manifestations in 991 individuals living in Loa loa-endemic areas in the Republic of Congo.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>From September 2022 to September 2023, community health workers collected weekly symptoms from cohort participants. Detailed data on symptom duration, intensity, associated pruritus, and impact on sleep were recorded. Laboratory procedures included thick blood smear for L. loa microfilaremia measurement, creatininemia measurement and eosinophilia counts. We used multiple failure analysis and frailty models to calculate incidence rates of EW, CS, arthralgia, pruritus and absence from work (AfW) and to analyses factors associated with increased incidence of each symptom. The population-attributable fractions (PAFs) associated with loiasis were also calculated for pruritus, AfW and arthralgia.</p><p><strong>Principal findings: </strong>Among the studied manifestations, arthralgia had the highest incidence rate at 555.2 cases per 1000 Person-Year (PY), followed by pruritus (332.3 cases/1000 PY), AfW (298.6/1000 PY), EW (266.4/1000 PY), and CS (213.8/1000 PY). Notably, the incidence rates of CS, pruritus, arthralgia, and AfW were statistically significantly higher in the subgroup of individuals who experienced at least one episode of EW during the follow-up period. EW occurrence is more frequent when microfilaremia is present. The PAFs of AfW, pruritus and arthralgia, associated with loiasis was 18.0% [07.3-27.6], 20.8% [11.6-29.1] and 12.1% [3.1-20.1], respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion/significance: </strong>This is the first study to provide incidence rates for the clinical manifestations of loiasis. These estimates are crucial for assessing the burden of loiasis. The findings highlight the disease's impact on quality of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":49000,"journal":{"name":"PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases","volume":"19 2","pages":"e0012868"},"PeriodicalIF":3.4,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11844906/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143411341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}