Wüstenschiff

MALARIA - UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ex UGANDA
********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Fri 12 Mar 2010
From: Jeff Daniels
<JSDaniels@seracare.com>


Malaria in U.S. traveler -- inappropriate chemoprophylaxis
----------------------------------------------------------
A case of malaria has been identified at Brockton
Hospital in Massachusetts. The patient had
returned from a several month stay in Uganda.

The patient changed from using doxycycline to
Qualaquin during his trip, and then reported
fever and chills several weeks after returning to
Massachusetts. He was diagnosed with malaria at
Brockton Hospital on 5 Mar 2010. The patient
underwent treatment with quinine and has been
discharged.

--
Jeff Daniels
Disease-state Plasma Donor Recruiter
SeraCare Life Sciences Inc.
Milford, Massachusetts, USA
<JSDaniels@seracare.com>

[Qualaquin contains quinine, and quinine is not
appropriate for malaria prophylaxis because of
its very short half life. Furthermore, there are
considerable problems with counterfeit drugs in
Africa, and the drug purchased in Uganda may have
been substandard and not contained what it was
supposed to contain.

The case illustrates that decisions about malaria
prophylaxis should be taken at home and not not
changed, and that the drugs used should be
brought from home and not purchased locally.

The interactive HealthMap/ProMED map for Uganda is available at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/00v0>
– Mod.EP]

Kampf gegen Malaria: Forscher der Uni Graz melden Patent für neuen Wirkstoff an
15.03.2010 - idw - Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz

Mehr als 860.000 Menschenleben forderte die Malaria laut Angaben der Weltgesundheitsorganisation WHO im Jahr 2008. Über neunzig Prozent der Opfer starben an der gefürchteten Variante "Malaria tropica". Pharmazeuten der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz machen nun Hoffnung auf eine neue Waffe im Kampf gegen die gefährliche Erkrankung. Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dr. Robert Weis und Priv.-Doz. Dr. Werner Seebacher haben eine chemische Verbindung entwickelt, die gegen den Erreger der Malaria tropica Wirkung zeigt. Die Universität hat für die vielversprechende Verbindung bereits Patentschutz für Europa beantragt ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Mücken als "fliegende Impfspritzen"
19.03.2010 - spektrumdirekt

Als blutrünstige Plagegeister infizieren Mücken jedes Jahr Millionen von Menschen mit Malaria und anderen Krankheiten. Doch nun haben japanische Wissenschaftler die stechenden Insekten durch genetische Veränderungen in "fliegende Impfspritzen" verwandelt. Die transgenen Mücken produzieren in ihrer Speicheldrüse Impfstoffe, mit denen sich Infektionskrankheiten bekämpfen, lassen berichten Forscher um Shigeto Yoshida von der Jichi Medical University in Shimotsuke ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Mali: Drei bittere Pillen mit großer Wirkung: Malaria-Sprechstunde mitten im Dorf



In der Region Kangaba hat Ärzte ohne Grenzen ein neues Behandlungsmodell eingeführt: Malaria-Helfer halten Sprechstunden direkt in den Dörfern ab. Mit Erfolg: heute sterben dort viel weniger Kinder. Die Fotos erzählen, wie drei Tabletten Kanda und Kadijatou helfen. Fotostory

Welt-Malaria-Tag



Noch immer fordert Malaria jedes Jahr eine Million Menschenleben
Eine effektive Diagnose und wirksame Behandlung von Malaria sind längst möglich und dennoch bleibt Malaria eine tödliche Bedrohung in vielen ärmeren Ländern. Eine Million Menschen sterben noch immer jährlich an der Tropenkrankheit. Im südlichen Afrika bleibt Malaria die Haupttodesursache für Kinder unter fünf Jahren. mehr...



Grüsse
Alexander

Giftgaseinsatz für die Volksgesundheit
25.03.2010 - FAZ

An diesem Sonntag ist Weltmalariatag. Mit neuen Medikamenten und Moskitonetzen wurde viel erreicht. Doch auch das Pflanzenschutzgift DDT wird weiter eingesetzt - mit Erfolg, wie Swaziland beweist ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

MALARIA, PLASMODIUM OVALE ­ NEW VARIANT
***************************************
A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Sat 1 May 2010
Source: Sutherland C et al. J Infect Dis. 2010 May 15;201(10):1544-50. [edited]
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20380562>


Nonrecombining sympatric forms of the human
malaria parasite Plasmodium ovale occur globally.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background: Malaria in humans is caused by
apicomplexan parasites belonging to 5 species of
the genus Plasmodium. Infections with Plasmodium
ovale are widely distributed but rarely
investigated, and the resulting burden of disease
is not known. Dimorphism in defined genes has led
to P. ovale parasites being divided into classic
and variant types. We hypothesized that these
dimorphs represent distinct parasite species.

Methods: Multilocus sequence analysis of 6
genetic characters was carried out among 55
isolates from 12 African and 3 Asia-Pacific countries.

Results: Each genetic character displayed
complete dimorphism and segregated perfectly
between the 2 types. Both types were identified
in samples from Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tome, Sierra
Leone, and Uganda and have been described
previously in Myanmar. Splitting of the 2
lineages is estimated to have occurred between
1.0 and 3.5 million years ago in hominid hosts.

Conclusions: We propose that P. ovale comprises 2
nonrecombining species that are sympatric in
Africa and Asia. We speculate on possible
scenarios that could have led to this speciation.
Furthermore, the relatively high frequency of
imported cases of symptomatic P. ovale infection
in the United Kingdom suggests that the morbidity
caused by ovale malaria has been underestimated.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[This is the 1st comprehensive study of the world
wide distribution of the 2 Plasmodium ovale
variants. It has been known for some time that P.
ovale existed in 2 variants which could not be
distinguished by light microscopy of Giemsa
stained blood films described from Asia (Kawamoto
F et al. Sequence variation in the 18S rRNA gene,
a target for PCR-based malaria diagnosis, in
Plasmodium ovale from southern Vietnam. J Clin
Microbiol. 1996;34:2287-9. Win TT, et al.
Molecular analysis of Plasmodium ovale variants.
Emerg Infect Dis. 2004;10:1235-40) and Cameroun
(Duval L et al. Chimpanzee malaria parasites
related to Plasmodium ovale in Africa. PLoS One.
2009;4(5):e5520). The new study shows that the 2
variants are distributed world wide, and probably
circulate at the same time in the same areas. It
is interesting that the species probably
separated million of years ago and the finding
probably do not reflect on-going transmission between primate and humans.

The confusion between P.malariae and P.knowlesi
in Asia, which was clearly demonstrated by
molecular typing, and the present results show
that the classification of malaria parasite based
only on light microscopy need to be further studied. ­ Mod.EP]

MALARIA - ETHIOPIA: GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION
******************
A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Sat 1 May 2010
Source: Afrik.com [edited]
<http://en.afrik.com/article17476.html>


Ethiopia sounds alarm over new malaria prone areas
--------------------------------------------------
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health (MoH) has
sounded concerns over outbreaks of malaria in
areas where the disease was previously not found.

A replacement program for insecticide-treated
mosquito nets has had to be altered to
incorporate the new areas. The ministry had
bought a 2nd round of insecticide-treated bed
nets to replace the previously distributed 20
million nets that have a life span of 3 to 5
years, according to government sources.

However, the presence of malaria in previously
inactive places has forced the ministry to change
its plan to replace the 20 million nets and
commenced distribution to people living in
newly-identified places, the source said.

Climate fluctuation has been identified by MoH
officials as one of the principal reasons for the latest possible outbreak.

The mosquito net measure, taken since 2005 by the
ministry in collaboration with the Roll Back
Malaria Initiative, in which UNICEF and WHO are
partners, has brought about significant change.

But, despite Ethiopia's extensive
malaria-fighting measures, the mosquito parasite
induced sickness remains the most fatal disease
in Ethiopia. According to UNICEF "large scale
epidemics occur every 5 to 8 years in certain
areas aggravated by climatic fluctuations and
drought-related emergencies that weaken people's immune system."

In 2003 a major epidemic was registered, during
which an estimated 6 million cases and more than 40 000 deaths were recorded.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in the course
of the programme, stretched its health services
as it dispatched more than 30 000 health
extension workers and distributed about 20
million bed nets to malaria prone areas.

This effort contributed to a dramatic fall in
deaths from a disease that kills one in 4 people.
The program halved malaria morbidity and mortality within 3 years.

There are 2 transmission seasons in Ethiopia: the
1st begins in April following the belg rains and
the 2nd in October, which also follows the
country's main regular rainy season, according to
information obtained from WHO Ethiopia.

Tedros Adhanom, Ethiopian Health Minister, has
expressed his concerns over the new outbreak. As
chairman of the international Roll Back Malaria
initiative, Tedros Adhanom has been using his
country's malaria-fighting model to inspire other African countries.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[Highlands are more prone to changes in malaria
transmission than low land areas because a few
degrees changes can dramatically change
transmission (Zhou G et al. Association between
climate variability and malaria epidemics in the
East African highlands. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2004;101:2375-80. Erratum in: Proc Natl Acad Sci
U S A. 2004,14;101:13694). A map of areas with
malaria transmission in Ethiopia can be found at:
<http://www.mara.org.za/>. ­ Mod.EP]

MALARIA - ALBANIA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
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ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Tue 18 May 2010
Source: Radio 1
<http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n219966>


A case of malaria disease has been confirmed in Albania, Macedonian
Dnevnik Daily reports, citing Mr. Plumb Pipero with the ministry of healthcare.

A 17-year-old girl who returned from Greece 3 months ago shows
symptoms of malaria and has been put under quarantine. Blood samples
have been sent for expert lab tests.

The Zalher village, where the young girl lives, has been disinfected.
Medical authorities are making tests and studies on whether the girl
has been bitten by a mosquito in Greece or Albania.

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[The information given here is very sparse, and we do not even know
which species of malaria the girl was infected with, or whether the
confirmatory tests were positive.

In 1938, malaria was a hyper-endemic disease in Albania, exhibiting a
spleen and parasite rate of 60 percent. In 1946, the insecticide DDT
was introduced, and malaria was eradicated in Albania in 1967.

Malaria was eradicated in Greece in the beginning of the 1970s, and
since then, only sporadic autochthonous malaria cases have been
recorded (3 cases in 1991, one case in 1999 and 2 cases in 2000).
(Epidemiological Surveillance of Malaria in Countries of Central and
Eastern Europe and Selected Newly Independent States. Report on a WHO
intercountry meeting, Sofia, Bulgaria 24-26 Jun 2002. EUR/02/5037191.
<http://www.euro.who.int/document/e77302.pdf>. - Mod.EP]

Malaria wegsperren
19.05.2010 - Cordis

Eine bahnbrechende britisch-amerikanische Studie könnte Forschern weltweit ein Werkzeug an die Hand geben, um die Verbreitung von Malaria einzudämmen, einer Krankheit mit möglicherweise tödlichen Folgen. Diese in der Zeitschrift Science veröffentlichte Forschungsarbeit wurde teilweise durch die EU finanziert: Das Projekt MALSIG ("Signalling in the life cycle stages of malaria parasites") erhielt 3 Mio. EUR aus dem Themenbereich "Gesundheit" des Siebten Rahmenprogramms (RP7), um das Verständnis der Biologie des Malariaerregers zu erweitern. In der jüngsten Studie des Teams unter der Leitung der Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) in den USA versuchten die Wissenschaftler ursprünglich, Malariaparasiten daran zu hindern, gesunde rote Blutkörperchen zu befallen. Tatsächlich stoppten sie die Erreger auf ihrem Weg innerhalb infizierter Blutzellen ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

MALARIA, ARTEMISININ RESISTANCE - SOUTH EAST ASIA
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
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Date: 21 May 2010
Source: Weekly Epidemiological Record report [edited]
<http://www.who.int/wer/2010/wer8521.pdf>


Prevention and treatment of artemisinin-resistant
falciparum malaria: update for international travellers
-----------------------------------------
_Plasmodium falciparum_ malaria, a
life-threatening disease, occurs in the tropics
and subtropics, in more than 90 countries, and
caused an estimated 863 000 deaths in 2008.1/

_P. falciparum_ is the predominant malaria
parasite in endemic areas of tropical Africa.
During the transmission season in endemic areas,
all non-immune travellers who are exposed to
mosquito bites between dusk and dawn are at risk
of malaria. Travellers' risk of contracting
malaria varies from country to country and among areas in a country. 2/

Prevention and treatment of falciparum malaria
with antimalarial medicines have become more
difficult because the parasite is increasingly
resistant to various antimalarial drugs.
Artemisinin and artemisinin-derivatives are
medicines used to treat falciparum malaria
strains that have become resistant to many
different drugs; they are the core component of
the widely used WHO-recommended artemisinin-based
combination therapies (ACT -- combinations of
artemisinin, or one of its derivatives, with one
or more antimalarials of a different class). WHO
now recommends the use of ACT as standard
first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria. 3/

In 2008, the presence of P. falciparum parasites
resistant to the artemisinin derivative
artesunate was confirmed along the border between
Cambodia and Thailand. A 2-country, multi-partner
artemisinin-resistance containment programme is
under way in this area. 4/ Resistance to
artemisinin is suspected to be present in other
border areas of countries along the Mekong River,
5/ and these areas are being investigated.
Preliminary reports of emerging artemisinin
resistance in South America and some African
countries are as yet unconfirmed.

Currently, ACT remains fully effective in
achieving clinical cure and clearing blood stage
parasites, even in the case of infection with artemisinin-resistant parasites.

The emergence of artemisinin resistance on the
Thai. Cambodian border has implications for the
management of malaria in international travellers
to the following parts of south-east Asia:
western Cambodia, the border regions of Thailand
and Cambodia, border regions of Thailand and
Myanmar, eastern Myanmar, and the Binh Phuc Province of Viet Nam.

The diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated P.
falciparum malaria infections acquired by
travellers to these parts of the world should be
managed in accordance with standard
recommendations for malaria in travellers
published by WHO in International Travel and
Health 2010, 6/ including the recommendations for
standby emergency treatment. 7/

If infected travellers return or continue their
journey to an endemic country in another part of
the world, there is a risk of introducing
drug-resistant parasites to that endemic area.
This would take place through transmission of
gametocytes to local Anopheles mosquitoes.

Gametocyte development, and therefore transmission, are enhanced by:
1. an increase in parasite clearance time as
caused by artemisinin-tolerant or resistant infections, and/or

2. hyperparasitaemia which could result from delayed treatment.

To reduce the danger of introducing
drug-resistant parasites to other endemic parts
of the world, all malaria patients who have
travelled in the areas of South-East Asia named
above should be promptly diagnosed and treated
effectively (in accordance with International Travel and Health 2010).

The addition of a single oral dose of primaquine
(0.75 mg base/kg body weight, with 45 mg base
maximum for adults) to treatment will accelerate
the removal of gametocytes. Primaquine may induce
severe haemolysis in patients who are
glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient, and
is contraindicated during pregnancy and in young
infants. It is recommended that measures be taken
to reduce the patient's contact with mosquitoes
(and thereby reduce the risk of onward
transmission of parasites); these measures
include using an insecticide treated mosquito net
and insect repellents between dusk and dawn.

Footnotes and references:
1/ World Malaria Report 2009. Geneva, World
Health Organization, 2009
(<http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2 ... 01_eng.pdf;
accessed May 2010>).
2/ Up-to-date information on malaria risk for
travellers is available at <http://www.who.int/ith>.
3/ Artemisinin cannot be used for
chemoprophylaxis for travellers owing to its short elimination half-life.
4/ See No. 11/12, 2009, pp. 94–95.
5 / The countries along the Mekong River where
artemisinin resistance is suspected are Cambodia,
China (Yunnan Province), the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam.

6/ International Travel and Health 2010. World
Health Organization, Geneva, 2010
(<http://www.who.int/ith/en/>; accessed May 2010).

7/ Stand-by emergency treatment is the
self-administration of antimalarials (usually
without prior laboratory diagnosis) by
febrile travellers who are unable to gain access
to proper medical attention within 24 hours of the onset of fever.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall

[This report is very concerning, although our
previous report of artemisinin resistance at the
Thai-Myanmar border was withdrawn.

The driving force is under-dosing and counterfeit drugs. - Mod.EP]

Abholzung fördert Malaria
16.06.2010 - spektrum direkt

Jedes Jahr fallen mehrere tausend Quadratkilometer Regenwald am Amazonas der Brandrodung und Kettensägen zum Opfer. Damit geht jedoch nicht nur ein artenreiches Ökosystem verloren, es steigt auch die Gefahr für die Menschen, sich mit gefährlichen Tropenkrankheiten anzustecken: Wie Sarah Olsen von der University of Wisconsin-Madison und ihre Kollegen herausgefunden haben, erhöht die Abholzung das Risiko der lokalen Bevölkerung, sich mit Malaria zu infizieren, um rund 50 Prozent ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Auch 130 Jahre nach Entdeckung des Erregers ist die Tropenkrankheit noch für Überraschungen gut
07.07.2010 - NZZ

Bisher waren vier Plasmodienarten bekannt, die beim Menschen Malaria auslösen. Vor kurzem sind eine fünfte sowie eine neue Unterart dazugekommen [...] Die Wissenschafter von der Londoner Hochschule für Tropenmedizin und der Mahidol-Universität in Bangkok vermuteten, dass die sich im Mikroskop als Plasmodium ovale präsentierenden Parasiten in Wirklichkeit zwei Spezies darstellten [...] In Erinnerung an zwei englische Malariaforscher, Christopher Curtis und David Walliker, wurde die seit 1922 bekannte Spezies auf den Namen Plasmodium ovale curtisi umgetauft und die neu entdeckte Art Plasmodium ovale wallikeri benannt ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Malaria-Mensch-Beziehung ist Millionen Jahre alt
09.07.2010 - spektrumdirekt

Schon lange wird darüber spekuliert, seit wann sich die ersten Malaria-Parasiten in menschlichen Zellen wohl fühlten. Tatsächlich begann das Verhältnis zwischen dem oft tödlichen Parasiten und seinem Opfer schon lange, bevor es überhaupt Menschen gab, berichten nun Robert Ricklefs und Kollegin Diana Outlaw: Vor knapp 13 Millionen Jahren hatten Vorläufer des Erregers gelernt, Säugetiere zu infizieren; Menschenvorfahren gerieten dann vor etwa 2,5 Millionen Jahre in ihr Visier ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt

Malaria-kranke Cheryl Cole

"Wir haben sie fast verloren"

Die britische Popsängerin Cheryl Cole kämpft nach einer Malaria-Infektion mit den heftigen Folgen der Krankheit. Zwischenzeitlich soll es so schlecht um sie gestanden haben, dass Freunde um das Leben der 27-Jährigen fürchteten.

London - Ihre Haut ist wächsern auf Grund einer Gelbsucht, sie kann nicht sprechen und braucht ständig Sauerstoff: Glaubt man einem Bericht der "News of the World" dann geht es der an Malaria erkrankten Cheryl Cole sehr schlecht. ...

http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/leute/0, ... 57,00.html

Gruß

Götz

PS: Wie dick müsste ein Magazin sein, wenn über jeden Malariafall so ausführlich berichtet würde???

Behandlung erzeugt schützende Immunität - bei Mäusen
16.07.2010 - scinexx

Bekommen Mäuse über drei Tage ein Antibiotikum verabreicht und werden sie zur gleichen Zeit mit Malariaerregern infiziert, so treten keine krankmachenden Parasiten im Blut auf. Die so behandelten Tiere entwickeln zusätzlich eine stabile, lang anhaltende Immunität gegen nachfolgende Infektionen. Dies hat jetzt ein deutsches Forscherteam herausgefunden ... mehr

Gruß
Birgitt