A randomized assessors-blind clinical trial to evaluate the safety and the efficacy of albendazole alone and in combination with mebendazole or pyrantel for the treatment of Trichuris trichiura infection in school-aged children in Lambaréné and surroundings.

Helminthiasis remains a public health issue in endemic areas. Various drugs have been proposed to improve efficacy against helminths. The study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of three different anthelmintic combinations to treat Trichuris trichiura infections. We conducted a randomized assessors-blind clinical trial involving children aged 2-17 years with T. trichiura. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment arms. On the first and third days, all participants got albendazole 400 mg, and on the second day, albendazole (arm A), mebendazole 500 mg (arm B), or pyrantel 125 mg/kg (arm C). We assessed treatment efficacy using the cure rate (CR) and egg reduction rate (ERR) at 3 and 6 weeks post-treatment. At 3 weeks post-treatment, ERR and CR were highest in study arm A [ERR = 94%, 95% confidence interval (CI): 92-95; CR = 71%; 95% CI: 58-81] compared to the B and C arms. Decrease in ERR was significant only for arm B versus arm A (P-value <0.001); decrease in ERR was significant for arms B and C (P-value <0.001). No statistical difference was observed in CR when comparing arms A and B (P-value =1.00) and C (P-value =0.27). At 6 weeks, a decrease in ERR was observed in three arms, significant only for arm C, 81% (95% CI: 78-83). A significant increase in egg counts was observed between 3 and 6 weeks post-treatment. All treatments were safe with mild adverse events. Albendazole 400 mg/day (arm A) showed the highest efficacy against trichuriasis. Nonetheless, this treatment regimen was able to cure half of the treated individuals highlighting concerns about controlling the transmission of T. trichiura.CLINICAL TRIALRegistered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04326868).

Safety and efficacy of pyronaridine-artesunate paediatric granules in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in children: insights from randomized clinical trials and a real-world study.

BACKGROUND: Children are particularly at risk of malaria. This analysis consolidates the clinical data for pyronaridine-artesunate (PA) paediatric granules in children from three randomized clinical trials and a real-world study (CANTAM). METHODS: An integrated safety analysis of individual patient data from three randomized clinical trials included patients with microscopically-confirmed Plasmodium falciparum, body weight ≥ 5 kg to < 20 kg, who received at least one dose of study drug (paediatric safety population). PA was administered once daily for 3 days; two trials included the comparator artemether-lumefantrine (AL). PCR-adjusted day 28 adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) was evaluated. Real-world PA granules safety and effectiveness was also considered. RESULTS: In the integrated safety analysis, 63.9% (95% CI 60.2, 67.4; 426/667) of patients had adverse events following PA and 62.0% (95% CI 56.9, 66.9; 222/358) with AL. Vomiting was more common with PA (7.8% [95% CI 6.0, 10.1; 52/667]) than AL (3.4% [95% CI 1.9, 5.8; 12/358]), relative risk 2.3 (95% CI 1.3, 4.3; P = 0.004), occurring mainly following the first PA dose (6.7%, 45/667), without affecting re-dosing or adherence. Prolonged QT interval occurred less frequently with PA (3.1% [95% CI 2.1, 4.8; 21/667]) than AL (8.1% [95% CI 5.7, 11.4; 29/358]), relative risk 0.39 (95% CI 0.22, 0.67; P = 0.0007). In CANTAM, adverse events were reported for 17.7% (95% CI 16.3, 19.2; 460/2599) of patients, most commonly vomiting (5.4% [95% CI 4.6, 6.4; 141/2599]), mainly following the first dose, (4.5% [117/2599]), with all patients successfully re-dosed, and pyrexia (5.4% [95% CI 4.6, 6.3; 140/2599]). In the two comparative clinical trials, Day 28 ACPR in the per-protocol population for PA was 97.1% (95% CI 94.6, 98.6; 329/339) and 100% (95% CI 99.3, 100; 514/514) versus 98.8% (95% CI 95.7, 99.9; 165/167) and 98.4% (95% CI 95.5, 99.7; 188/191) for AL, respectively. In CANTAM, PA clinical effectiveness was 98.0% (95% CI 97.3, 98.5; 2273/2320). CONCLUSIONS: Anti-malarial treatment with PA paediatric granules administered once daily for 3 days was well tolerated in children and displayed good clinical efficacy in clinical trials, with effectiveness confirmed in a real-world study. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov: SP-C-003-05: identifier NCT00331136; SP-C-007-07: identifier NCT0541385; SP-C-021-15: identifier NCT03201770. Pan African Clinical Trials Registry: SP-C-013-11: identifier PACTR201105000286876.

Performance evaluation of a combination Plasmodium dual-antigen CRP rapid diagnostic test in Lambaréné, Gabon.

PURPOSE: The consequent use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) preceding a treatment decision has improved the global management of malaria. A combination RDT, including an inflammation marker to potentially guide antibiotic prescription, could improve the management of acute febrile illness (AFI). METHODS: We performed a prospective, cross-sectional study in Gabon evaluating the STANDARD Malaria/CRP DUO (S-DUO) RDT. Participants aged 2 to 17 years with fever at presentation and/or a history of fever < 7 days were enrolled. Expert microscopy, SD Bioline Malaria Ag P.f/Pan test for malaria detection, and NycoCard CRP device for CRP were used as comparators. AFI cases were classified on a spectrum encompassing bacterial vs. non-bacterial infection. RESULTS: 415 participants with AFI were enrolled. S-DUO RDT sensitivity and specificity for malaria detection vs. microscopy were 99·1% (95·2-100%) and 72·7% (64·3-80·1%); and for CRP detection (20 mg/L and above) 86·9% (80-92%) and 87% (79·2-92·7%), respectively. The difference in CRP levels between bacterial infection (mean = 41·2 mg/L) and other causes of fever, measured from our study population using the Nycocard device, was statistically significant (p < 0·01); CRP precision-recall AUC to distinguish bacterial infection class vs. non-bacterial classifications was 0·79. CONCLUSION: S-DUO RDT is suitable for malaria detection in moderate-to-high malaria transmission settings such as in Lambaréné; however, a CRP band detection limit > 40 mg/L is more adequate for indication of antibiotic prescription for AFI cases in Gabon.

Influenza in travelers from Germany returning from abroad: a retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Influenza is the most common vaccine-preventable infection among travelers, affecting approximately one percent of those travelling to subtropical and tropical destinations. METHODS: We analysed demographic, travel-related and clinical information from travelers diagnosed with influenza at our travel clinic between January 2015 and March 2020 and influenza-negative controls. RESULTS: We included 68 travelers diagnosed with influenza and 207 controls. In total, 22.1% of influenza patients (n = 15) were older than 60 years and/or had comorbidities for which annual influenza vaccination is recommended, but only one had received an influenza vaccine. Patients with respiratory and musculoskeletal symptoms who presented during the German influenza season had the highest risk proportion of positive tests (54%, n = 25/46). Overall, three (4.4%) influenza patients were hospitalised, two (2.9%) received antiviral treatment, and eight (11.8%) received antibiotic therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Influenza occurs throughout the year in international travelers and can cause significant morbidity. Travelers with febrile illness should be tested for influenza, especially if they have respiratory or musculoskeletal symptoms, present during the local influenza season, or have travelled to South-East Asia. Influenza vaccination coverage among international travelers needs to be improved among high-risk individuals.

Unraveling novel mutation patterns and morphological variations in two dalbavancin-resistant MRSA strains in Austria using whole genome sequencing and transmission electron microscopy.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains resistant to non-beta-lactam antimicrobials poses a significant challenge in treating severe MRSA bloodstream infections. This study explores resistance development and mechanisms in MRSA isolates, especially after the first dalbavancin-resistant MRSA strain in our hospital in 2016. METHODS: This study investigated 55 MRSA bloodstream isolates (02/2015-02/2021) from the University Hospital of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria. The MICs of dalbavancin, linezolid, and daptomycin were assessed. Two isolates (16-33 and 19-362) resistant to dalbavancin were analyzed via whole-genome sequencing, with morphology evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). RESULTS: S.aureus BSI strain 19-362 had two novel missense mutations (p.I515M and p.A606D) in the pbp2 gene. Isolate 16-33 had a 534 bp deletion in the DHH domain of GdpP and a SNV in pbp2 (p.G146R). Both strains had mutations in the rpoB gene, but at different positions. TEM revealed significantly thicker cell walls in 16-33 (p < 0.05) compared to 19-362 and dalbavancin-susceptible strains. None of the MRSA isolates showed resistance to linezolid or daptomycin. CONCLUSION: In light of increasing vancomycin resistance reports, continuous surveillance is essential to comprehend the molecular mechanisms of resistance in alternative MRSA treatment options. In this work, two novel missense mutations (p.I515M and p.A606D) in the pbp2 gene were newly identified as possible causes of dalbavancin resistance.

Pharmacokinetics of Ribavirin in the Treatment of Lassa Fever: An Observational Clinical Study at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Lassa fever is endemic in large parts of West Africa. The recommended antiviral treatment is ribavirin. Two treatment regimens are currently endorsed in Nigeria: the "McCormick regimen" based on a study published in 1986 and the "Irrua regimen" constituting a simplified schedule developed at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Evidence for the safety and efficacy of ribavirin in Lassa fever patients is poor and pharmacokinetic data for both regimens are lacking. METHODS: Polymerase chain reaction-confirmed Lassa fever patients with mild to moderate disease severity were invited to participate in this prospective, observational pharmacokinetic study. Pharmacokinetics of ribavirin, clinical, virologic, and clinical laboratory parameters were assessed. RESULTS: Using a population pharmacokinetic approach, plasma concentrations of ribavirin were best described by a 3-compartment model. Drug exposure was remarkably consistent between participants. Overall, drug clearance was 28.5% lower in female compared with male participants. Median (5th-95th percentile) time above half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 37.3% (16.9%-73.1%), 16.7% (8.2%-58.5%), and 9.6% (4.9%-38.4%) on days 1, 7, and 8, respectively. Clinical laboratory parameters indicated reduction of cell damage and development of hemolytic anemia in the course of the treatment period. CONCLUSIONS: This observational study characterizes the pharmacokinetics of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever indicating consistent exposure across patients. Whereas only a short time interval of concentrations above the IC50 implies rather low antiviral efficacy in vivo, the prominent reduction of cell damage markers might point to indirect-potentially anti-inflammatory-effects of ribavirin. The role of ribavirin in the treatment of Lassa fever requires further scrutiny.

T cells expressing multiple co-inhibitory molecules in acute malaria are not exhausted but exert a suppressive function in mice.

Overwhelming activation of T cells in acute malaria is associated with severe outcomes. Thus, counter-regulation by anti-inflammatory mechanisms is indispensable for an optimal resolution of disease. Using Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) infection of C57BL/6 mice, we performed a comprehensive analysis of co-inhibitory molecules expressed on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells using an unbiased cluster analysis approach. We identified similar T cell clusters co-expressing several co-inhibitory molecules like programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG-3) in the CD4+ and the CD8+ T cell compartment. Interestingly, despite expressing co-inhibitory molecules, which are associated with T cell exhaustion in chronic settings, these T cells were more functional compared to activated T cells that were negative for co-inhibitory molecules. However, T cells expressing high levels of PD-1 and LAG-3 also conferred suppressive capacity and thus resembled type I regulatory T cells. To our knowledge, this is the first description of malaria-induced CD8+ T cells with suppressive capacity. Importantly, we found an induction of T cells with a similar co-inhibitory rich phenotype in Plasmodium falciparum-infected patients. In conclusion, we demonstrate that malaria-induced T cells expressing co-inhibitory molecules are not exhausted, but acquire additional suppressive capacity, which might represent an immune regulatory pathway to prevent further activation of T cells during acute malaria.

Real-life effectiveness of anti-malarial treatment regimens: what are we aiming for?

Three-day artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the current standard of care for the treatment of malaria. However, specific drug resistance associated with reduced efficacy of ACT has been observed, therefore necessitating the clinical development of new anti-malarial drugs and drug combinations. Previously, Single Encounter Radical Cure and Prophylaxis (SERCAP) has been proposed as ideal target-product-profile for any new anti-malarial drug regimen as this would improve treatment adherence besides ensuring complete cure and prevention of early reinfection. Arguably, this concept may not be ideal as it (1) necessitates administration of an excessively high dose of drug to achieve plasmodicidal plasma levels for a sufficient time span, (2) increases the risk for drug related adverse drug reactions, and (3) leaves the patient with a one-time opportunity to achieve-or not-cure by a single drug intake. Over the past years, SERCAP has led to the halt of promising drug development programmes, leading to potentially unnecessary attrition in the anti-malarial development pipeline. One proposition could be the concept of single-day multi-dose regimens as a potentially better alternative, as this allows to (1) administer a lower dose of the drug at each time-point leading to better tolerability and safety, (2) increase treatment adherence based on the intake of the anti-malarial drug within 24 h when malaria-related symptoms are still present, and (3) have more than one opportunity for adequate intake of the drug in case of early vomiting or other factors causing reduced bioavailability. In line with a recently published critical viewpoint on the concept of SERCAP, an alternative proposition is-in contrast to the current World Health Organization (WHO) treatment guidelines-to aim for less than three days, but still multiple-dose anti-malarial treatment regimens. This may help to strike the optimal balance between improving treatment adherence, maximizing treatment effectiveness, while keeping attrition of new drugs and drug regimens as low as possible.

Two Cases of Lassa Fever Successfully Treated with Ribavirin and Adjunct Dexamethasone for Concomitant Infections.

Lassa fever is a viral hemorrhagic fever treated with supportive care and the broad-spectrum antiviral drug ribavirin. The pathophysiology, especially the role of hyperinflammation, of this disease is unknown. We report successful remission of complicated Lassa fever in 2 patients in Nigeria who received the antiinflammatory agent dexamethasone and standard ribavirin.

Burden of malaria in pregnancy among adolescent girls compared to adult women in 5 sub-Saharan African countries: A secondary individual participant data meta-analysis of 2 clinical trials.

BACKGROUND: Malaria is among the top causes of death in adolescent girls (10 to 19 years) globally. Adolescent motherhood is associated with increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. The interaction of malaria, adolescence, and pregnancy is especially relevant in malaria endemic areas, where rates of adolescent pregnancy are high. However, data on burden of malaria among adolescent girls are limited. This study aimed at investigating whether adolescent girls were at a greater risk of experiencing malaria-related outcomes in pregnancy-parasitaemia and clinical disease-than adult women. METHODS AND FINDINGS: An individual secondary participant-level meta-analysis was conducted using data from 5,804 pregnant women participating in 2 malaria prevention clinical trials in Benin, Gabon, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania between 2009 and 2014. Of the sample, 1,201 participants were adolescent girls with a mean age of 17.5 years (standard deviation (SD) 1.3) and 886 (73.8%) of them primigravidae. Among the 4,603 adult women with mean age of 27.0 years (SD 5.4), 595 (12.9%) were primigravidae. Mean gestational age at enrolment was 20.2 weeks (SD 5.2) and 1,069 (18.4%) participants were HIV-infected. Women were followed monthly until the postpartum visit (1 month to 6 weeks after delivery). This study considered outcomes including clinical episodes during pregnancy, peripheral parasitaemia at delivery, and placental malaria. A 2-stage meta-analysis approach was followed by pooling single multivariable regression results into standard DerSimonian-Laird random-effects models. Adolescent girls were more likely than adult women to present with clinical malaria during pregnancy (incidence risk ratio (IRR) 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20; 2.39, p-value = 0.003, I2 = 0.0%, N = 4,092), peripheral parasitaemia at delivery (odds ratio (OR) 2.28, 95% CI 1.46; 3.55, p-value < 0.001, I2 = 0.0%, N = 3,977), and placental infection (OR 1.97, 95% CI 1.31; 2.98, p-value = 0.001, I2 = 1.4%, N = 4,797). Similar associations were observed among the subgroup of HIV-uninfected participants: IRR 1.72 (95% CI 1.22; 2.45, p-value = 0.002, I2 = 0.0%, N = 3,531) for clinical malaria episodes, OR 2.39 (95% CI 1.49; 3.86, p-value < 0.001, I2 = 0.0%, N = 3,053) for peripheral parasitaemia, and OR 1.88 (95% CI 1.06 to 3.33, p-value = 0.03, I2 = 34.9%, N = 3,847) for placental malaria. Among HIV-infected subgroups statistically significant associations were not observed. Similar associations were found in the subgroup analysis by gravidity. The small sample size and outcome prevalence in specific countries limited the inclusion of some countries in the meta-analysis. Furthermore, peripheral parasitaemia and placental malaria presented a considerable level of missing data-12.6% and 18.2% of participants had missing data on those outcomes, respectively. Given the original scope of the clinical trials, asymptomatic malaria infection was only assessed at the end of pregnancy through peripheral and placental parasitaemia. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we observed that adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are more prone to experience clinical malaria episodes during pregnancy and have peripheral malaria and placental infection at delivery than adult women. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, for the first time this study disaggregates figures and stratifies analyses by HIV infection. Similar associations were found for both HIV-infected and uninfected women, although those for HIV-infected participants were not statistically significant. Our finding suggests that adolescent girls may benefit from targeted malaria prevention strategies even before they become pregnant.

Deciphering the Plasmodium falciparum malaria-specific CD4+ T-cell response: ex vivo detection of high frequencies of PD-1+TIGIT+ EXP1-specific CD4+ T cells using a novel HLA-DR11-restricted MHC class II tetramer.

Relatively little is known about the ex vivo frequency and phenotype of the Plasmodium falciparum-specific CD4+ T-cell response in humans. The exported protein 1 (EXP1) is expressed by plasmodia at both, the liver stage and blood stage, of infection making it a potential target for CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cells. Here, a fluorochrome-labelled HLA-DRB1∗11:01-restriced MHC class II tetramer derived from the P. falciparum EXP1 (aa62-74) was established for ex vivo tetramer analysis and magnetic bead enrichment in 10 patients with acute malaria. EXP1-specific CD4+ T cells were detectable in 9 out of 10 (90%) malaria patients expressing the HLA-DRB1∗11 molecule with an average ex vivo frequency of 0.11% (0-0.22%) of total CD4+ T cells. The phenotype of EXP1-specific CD4+ T cells was further assessed using co-staining with activation (CD38, HLA-DR, CD26), differentiation (CD45RO, CCR7, KLRG1, CD127), senescence (CD57), and co-inhibitory (PD-1, TIGIT, LAG-3, TIM-3) markers as well as the ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73. EXP1-specific tetramer+ CD4+ T cells had a distinct phenotype compared to bulk CD4+ T cells and displayed a highly activated effector memory phenotype with elevated levels of co-inhibitory receptors and activation markers: EXP1-specific CD4+ T cells universally expressed the co-inhibitory receptors PD-1 and TIGIT as well as the activation marker CD38 and showed elevated frequencies of CD39. These results demonstrate that MHC class II tetramer enrichment is a sensitive approach to investigate ex vivo antigen-specific CD4+ T cells in malaria patients that will aid further analysis of the role of CD4+ T cells during malaria.

Challenges in the clinical development pathway for triple and multiple drug combinations in the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

The addition of a third anti-malarial drug matching the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the slowly eliminated partner drug in artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has been proposed as new therapeutic paradigm for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria. These triple artemisinin-based combination therapy (TACT) should in theory more effectively prevent the development and spread of multidrug resistance than current ACT. Several clinical trials evaluating TACT-or other multidrug anti-malarial combination therapy (MDACT)-have been reported and more are underway. From a regulatory perspective, these clinical development programmes face a strategic dilemma: pivotal clinical trials evaluating TACT are designed to test for non-inferiority of efficacy compared to standard ACT as primary endpoint. While meeting the endpoint of non-inferior efficacy, TACT are consistently associated with a slightly higher frequency of adverse drug reactions than currently used ACT. Moreover, the prevention of the selection of specific drug resistance-one of the main reasons for TACT development-is beyond the scope of even large-scale clinical trials. This raises important questions: if equal efficacy is combined with poorer tolerability, how can then the actual benefit of these drug combinations be demonstrated? How should clinical development plans be conceived to provide objective evidence for or against an improved management of patients and effective prevention of anti-malarial drug resistance by TACT? What are the objective criteria to ultimately convince regulators to approve these new products? In this Opinion paper, the authors discuss the challenges for the clinical development of triple and multidrug anti-malarial combination therapies and the hard choices that need to be taken in the further clinical evaluation and future implementation of this new treatment paradigm.

Creatine kinase-(MB) and hepcidin as candidate biomarkers for early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis: a proof-of-concept study in Lambaréné, Gabon.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), hepcidin (HEPC), phospholipase A2 group IIA (PLa2G2A), and myosin-binding protein C (MYBPC1) for tuberculosis (TB). These four biomarkers are differentially regulated between quiescent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infected individuals (non-progressors to TB disease) and Mtb-infected TB disease progressors 6 months before the onset of symptoms. METHODS: We enrolled samples from patients experiencing moderate-to-severe pulmonary infections diseases including 23 TB cases confirmed by smear microscopy and culture, and 34 TB-negative cases. For each participant, the serum levels of the four biomarkers were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: The levels of CK-MB and HEPC were significantly reduced in patients with active TB disease. CK-MB median level was 2045 pg/ml (1455-4000 pg/ml) in active TB cases and 3245 pg/ml (1645-4000 pg/ml) in non-TB pulmonary diseases. Using the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, HEPC and CK-MB had the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 79% (95% CI 67-91%) and 81% (95% CI 69-93%), respectively. Both markers correlated with TB diagnosis as a single marker. PLa2G2A and MYBPC1 with AUCs of 48% (95% CI 36-65%) and 62% (95% CI 48-76%) did not performed well as single biomarkers. The three markers'model (CK-MB-HEPC-PLa2G2A) had the highest diagnostic accuracy at 82% (95% CI 56-82%) after cross-validation. CONCLUSION: CK-MB and HEPC levels were statistically different between confirmed TB cases and non-TB cases. This study yields promising results for the rapid diagnosis of TB disease using a single marker or three biomarkers model.

Imported Malaria in Countries where Malaria Is Not Endemic: a Comparison of Semi-immune and Nonimmune Travelers.

The continuous increase in long-distance travel and recent large migratory movements have changed the epidemiological characteristics of imported malaria in countries where malaria is not endemic (here termed non-malaria-endemic countries). While malaria was primarily imported to nonendemic countries by returning travelers, the proportion of immigrants from malaria-endemic regions and travelers visiting friends and relatives (VFRs) in malaria-endemic countries has continued to increase. VFRs and immigrants from malaria-endemic countries now make up the majority of malaria patients in many nonendemic countries. Importantly, this group is characterized by various degrees of semi-immunity to malaria, resulting from repeated exposure to infection and a gradual decline of protection as a result of prolonged residence in non-malaria-endemic regions. Most studies indicate an effect of naturally acquired immunity in VFRs, leading to differences in the parasitological features, clinical manifestation, and odds for severe malaria and clinical complications between immune VFRs and nonimmune returning travelers. There are no valid data indicating evidence for differing algorithms for chemoprophylaxis or antimalarial treatment in semi-immune versus nonimmune malaria patients. So far, no robust biomarkers exist that properly reflect anti-parasite or clinical immunity. Until they are found, researchers should rigorously stratify their study results using surrogate markers, such as duration of time spent outside a malaria-endemic country.

Molecular Epidemiology of Mansonella Species in Gabon.

Mansonella perstans, a filarial nematode, infects large populations in Africa and Latin America. Recently, a potential new species, Mansonella sp "DEUX," was reported. Carriage of endosymbiotic Wolbachia opens treatment options for Mansonella infections. Within a cross-sectional study, we assessed the prevalence of filarial infections in 834 Gabonese individuals and the presence of the endosymbiont Wolbachia. Almost half of the participants (400/834 [48%]) were infected with filarial nematodes, with Mansonella sp "DEUX" being the most frequent (295/400 [74%]), followed by Loa loa (273/400 [68%]) and Mansonella perstans (82/400 [21%]). Being adult/elderly, male, and living in rural areas was associated with a higher risk of infection. Wolbachia carriage was confirmed in M. perstans and Mansonella sp "DEUX." In silico analysis revealed that Mansonella sp "DEUX" is not detected with currently published M. perstans-specific assays. Mansonella infections are highly prevalent in Gabon and might have been underreported, likely also beyond Gabon.

Predictive Performance of Rapid Diagnostic Tests for Falciparum Malaria and Its Modeled Impact on Integrated Community Case Management of Malaria in Sub-Saharan African Febrile Children.

BACKGROUND: Integrated community case management (iCCM) of malaria complements public health services to improve access to timely diagnosis and treatment of malaria. ICCM relies on standardized test-and-treat algorithms implemented by community health workers using malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). However, due to a changing epidemiology of fever causes in Africa, positive RDT results might not correctly reflect malaria. In this study, we modeled diagnostic predictive values for all malaria-endemic African regions as an indicator of the programmatic usefulness of RDTs in iCCM campaigns on malaria. METHODS: Positive predictive values (PPVs) and negative predictive values (NPVs) of RDTs for clinical malaria were modeled. Assay-specific performance characteristics stem from the Cochrane Library and data on the proportion of malaria-attributable fevers among African febrile children aged <5 years were used as prevalence matrix. RESULTS: Average country-level PPVs vary considerably. Ethiopia had the lowest PPVs (histidine-rich protein II [HRP2] assay, 17.35%; parasite lactate dehydrogenase [pLDH] assay, 39.73%), and Guinea had the highest PPVs (HRP2 assay, 95.32%; pLDH assay, 98.46%). On the contrary, NPVs were above 90% in all countries (HRP2 assay, ≥94.87%; pLDH assay, ≥93.36%). CONCLUSIONS: PPVs differed considerably within Africa when used to screen febrile children, indicating unfavorable performance of RDT-based test-and-treat algorithms in low-PPV settings. This suggests that the administration of antimalarials alone may not constitute causal treatment in the presence of a positive RDT result for a substantial proportion of patients, particularly in low-PPV settings. Therefore, current iCCM algorithms should be complemented by information on other setting-specific major causes of fever.

Recurrent Swelling and Microfilaremia Caused by Dirofilaria repens Infection after Travel to India.

Human subcutaneous dirofilariasis is an emerging mosquitoborne zoonosis. A traveler returning to Germany from India experienced Dirofilaria infection with concomitant microfilaremia. Molecular analysis indicated Dirofilaria repens nematodes of an Asian genotype. Microfilaremia showed no clear periodicity. Presence of Wolbachia endosymbionts enabled successful treatment with doxycycline.

Pyronaridine-artesunate real-world safety, tolerability, and effectiveness in malaria patients in 5 African countries: A single-arm, open-label, cohort event monitoring study.

BACKGROUND: In Phase II/III randomized controlled clinical trials for the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria, pyronaridine-artesunate demonstrated high efficacy and a safety profile consistent with that of comparators, except that asymptomatic, mainly mild-to-moderate transient increases in liver aminotransferases were reported for some patients. Hepatic safety, tolerability, and effectiveness have not been previously assessed under real-world conditions in Africa. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This single-arm, open-label, cohort event monitoring study was conducted at 6 health centers in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, and Republic of Congo between June 2017 and April 2019. The trial protocol as closely as possible resembled real-world clinical practice for the treatment of malaria at the centers. Eligible patients were adults or children of either sex, weighing at least 5 kg, with acute uncomplicated malaria who did not have contraindications for pyronaridine-artesunate treatment as per the summary of product characteristics. Patients received fixed-dose pyronaridine-artesunate once daily for 3 days, dosed by body weight, without regard to food intake. A tablet formulation was used in adults and adolescents and a pediatric granule formulation in children and infants under 20 kg body weight. The primary outcome was the hepatic event incidence, defined as the appearance of the clinical signs and symptoms of hepatotoxicity confirmed by a >2× rise in alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase (ALT/AST) versus baseline in patients with baseline ALT/AST >2× the upper limit of normal (ULN). As a secondary outcome, this was assessed in patients with ALT/AST >2× ULN prior to treatment versus a matched cohort of patients with normal baseline ALT/AST. The safety population comprised 7,154 patients, of mean age 13.9 years (standard deviation (SD) 14.6), around half of whom were male (3,569 [49.9%]). Patients experienced 8,560 malaria episodes; 158 occurred in patients with baseline ALT/AST elevations >2×ULN. No protocol-defined hepatic events occurred following pyronaridine-artesunate treatment of malaria patients with or without baseline hepatic dysfunction. Thus, no cohort comparison could be undertaken. Also, as postbaseline clinical chemistry was only performed where clinically indicated, postbaseline ALT/AST levels were not systematically assessed for all patients. Adverse events of any cause occurred in 20.8% (1,490/7,154) of patients, most frequently pyrexia (5.1% [366/7,154]) and vomiting (4.2% [303/7,154]). Adjusting for Plasmodium falciparum reinfection, clinical effectiveness at day 28 was 98.6% ([7,369/7,746] 95% confidence interval (CI) 98.3 to 98.9) in the per-protocol population. There was no indication that comorbidities or malnutrition adversely affected outcomes. The key study limitation was that postbaseline clinical biochemistry was only evaluated when clinically indicated. CONCLUSIONS: Pyronaridine-artesunate had good tolerability and effectiveness in a representative African population under conditions similar to everyday clinical practice. These findings support pyronaridine-artesunate as an operationally useful addition to the management of acute uncomplicated malaria. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03201770.

Association of low birth weight and polyparasitic infection during pregnancy in Lambaréné, Gabon.

OBJECTIVE: To report the prevalence of polyparasitism during pregnancy in the Lambaréné region of Gabon and its association with newborn birth weight. METHOD: Pregnant women in their third trimester were recruited in a prospective study between November 2011 and March 2015. Parasite infection status was assessed microscopically in stool, urine and blood samples. Maternal demographic and obstetrical characteristics and newborns anthropometric data were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between low birth weight and polyparasitism. RESULTS: 678 of 927 pregnant women were included for analysis with mean age (SD) of 25 (6.8) years. The analysis showed that 69% (468/678) were infected with at least one parasite (Plasmodium spp., Schistosoma spp., soil-transmitted helminths, filarial infections). This comprised of 38% with monoparasitism and 31% polyparasitism. The proportion of newborn babies with a weight below 2500 g (LBW) in our study was 21% (142/678). Compared to pregnant women without infection, women with monoparasitic infection had adjusted Odds Ratio confidence interval 95% CI (aOR [95%CI]) of 1.6 [0.95-2.73], those with two parasites had aOR 95%CI of 2.63 [1.51-4.62], and those with more than two parasites had aOR of 5.08 [2.5-10.38] for delivering a newborn with low birth weight. CONCLUSION: In Lambaréné, an endemic area for multiple parasite infections, there is a high prevalence of polyparasitism in pregnant women. Polyparasitism is associated with low birth weight. Therefore, there is an urgent need for active screening and treatment of parasite infections in pregnant women to assess the potential public health benefit of such interventions.

The four weeks before lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: a weekly serial cross-sectional survey on risk perceptions, knowledge, public trust and behaviour, 3 to 25 March 2020.

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, public perceptions and behaviours have had to adapt rapidly to new risk scenarios and radical behavioural restrictions.AimTo identify major drivers of acceptance of protective behaviours during the 4-week transition from virtually no COVID-19 cases to the nationwide lockdown in Germany (3-25 March 2020).MethodsA serial cross-sectional online survey was administered weekly to ca 1,000 unique individuals for four data collection rounds in March 2020 using non-probability quota samples, representative of the German adult population between 18 and 74 years in terms of age × sex and federal state (n = 3,910). Acceptance of restrictions was regressed on sociodemographic variables, time and psychological variables, e.g. trust, risk perceptions, self-efficacy. Extraction of homogenous clusters was based on knowledge and behaviour.ResultsAcceptance of restrictive policies increased with participants' age and employment in the healthcare sector; cognitive and particularly affective risk perceptions were further significant predictors. Acceptance increased over time, as trust in institutions became more relevant and trust in media became less relevant. The cluster analysis further indicated that having a higher education increased the gap between knowledge and behaviour. Trust in institutions was related to conversion of knowledge into action.ConclusionIdentifying relevant principles that increase acceptance will remain crucial to the development of strategies that help adjust behaviour to control the pandemic, possibly for years to come. Based on our findings, we provide operational recommendations for health authorities regarding data collection, health communication and outreach.