Ernest Mazigo, Hojong Jun, Wang-Jong Lee, Johnsy Mary Louis, Fadhila Fitriana, Jadidan Hada Syahada, Fauzi Muh, Feng Lu, Md Atique Ahmed, Seok Ho Cha, Wanjoo Chun, Won Sun Park, Se Jin Lee, Sunghun Na, Joon-Hee Han, Nyalali Kija, Smart Geodfrey, Eun-Teak Han, Jim Todd, Alphaxard Manjurano, Winifrida Kidima, Jin-Hee Han
Parasites Hosts Dis 2025;63(1):57-65. Published online February 25, 2025
As many countries implement different programs aimed at eliminating malaria, attention should be given to asymptomatic carriers that may interrupt the progress. This was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted in Tanzania from December 2022 to July 2023 within 4 villages from each of the 3 regions, Geita and Kigoma, which are high malaria transmission, and Arusha, which is low transmission. Malaria was diagnosed in asymptomatic individuals aged 1 year and older using the malaria rapid diagnostic test and light microscope. A total of 2,365 of 3,489 (67.9%) participants were enrolled from high-transmission villages. The overall prevalence was 25.5% and 15.8% by malaria rapid diagnostic test and light microscope, respectively. Using the respective tools, the prevalence was significantly higher at 35.6% (confidence interval (CI)=23.6–49.9) and 23.1% (CI=16.2–35.1) in the high-transmission regions (Geita and Kigoma) compared with 2.9% (CI=1.1–3.5) and 1.1% (CI=0.7–1.8) in the low-transmission region (Arusha). Children younger than 15 years and males accounted for the greatest proportion of infections. In the study area, the prevalence of asymptomatic cases was higher than that of reported symptomatic cases in health facilities. We hypothesize that these parasite reservoirs may contribute to the persistence of malaria in the country. Therefore, to achieve comprehensive malaria control in the country, the surveillance and screening of asymptomatic malaria cases are vital.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Hidden reservoirs of infection: prevalence and risk factors of asymptomatic malaria in a high-endemic region of Zambia Wisdom Silwamba, David Chisompola, John Nzobokela, Martin Chakulya, Lombe Kabwe, Kingsley Tembo Malaria Journal.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Emergence of chloroquine-sensitive
Plasmodium falciparum
and rising resistance to first-line artemisinin partner drugs in Malawi
Ernest Mazigo, Hojong Jun, Wang-Jong Lee, Johnsy Mary Louis, Jadidan Hada Syahada, Fadhila Fitriana, Fauzi Muh, Md Atique Ahmed, Feng Lu, Joon-Hee Han, Tae-Hyung Kwon, Se Jin Lee, Sunghun Na, Wanjoo Chun, Won Sun Park, Eun-Taek Han, Winifrida Kidima, Jin- Emerging Microbes & Infections.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
First report of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene deletions compromising HRP2-based malaria rapid diagnostic tests in Malawi Johnsy Mary Louis, Ernest Mazigo, Hojong Jun, Wang-Jong Lee, Jadidan Hada Syahada, Fadhila Fitriana, Fauzi Muh, Wanjoo Chun, Won Sun Park, Se Jin Lee, Sunghun Na, Feng Lu, Eun-Teak Han, Jin-Hee Han Infectious Diseases of Poverty.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Micro-geographic variation in antigenic diversity of PfEBA-175 region II in asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections in Tanzania Jadidan Hada Syahada, Wang-Jong Lee, Hojong Jun, Johnsy Mary Louis, Fadhila Fitriana, Fauzi Muh, Feng Lu, Md Atique Ahmed, Sunghun Na, Wanjoo Chun, Won Sun Park, Bo-Young Jeon, Eun-Teak Han, Jim Todd, Alphaxard Manjurano, Winifrida Kidima, Ernest Mazigo, Frontiers in Immunology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Plasmodium falciparum can invade all stages of red blood cells, while Plasmodium vivax can invade only reticulocytes. Although many P. vivax proteins have been discovered, their functions are largely unknown. Among them, P. vivax reticulocyte binding proteins (PvRBP1 and PvRBP2) recognize and bind to reticulocytes. Both proteins possess a C-terminal hydrophobic transmembrane domain, which drives adhesion to reticulocytes. PvRBP1 and PvRBP2 are large (> 326 kDa), which hinders identification of the functional domains. In this study, the complete genome information of the P. vivax RBP family was thoroughly analyzed using a prediction server with bioinformatics data to predict B-cell epitope domains. Eleven pvrbp family genes that included 2 pseudogenes and 9 full or partial length genes were selected and used to express recombinant proteins in a wheat germ cell-free system. The expressed proteins were used to evaluate the humoral immune response with vivax malaria patients and healthy individual serum samples by protein microarray. The recombinant fragments of 9 PvRBP proteins were successfully expressed; the soluble proteins ranged in molecular weight from 16 to 34 kDa. Evaluation of the humoral immune response to each recombinant PvRBP protein indicated a high antigenicity, with 38-88% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Of them, N-terminal parts of PvRBP2c (PVX_090325-1) and PvRBP2 like partial A (PVX_090330-1) elicited high antigenicity. In addition, the PvRBP2-like homologue B (PVX_116930) fragment was newly identified as high antigenicity and may be exploited as a potential antigenic candidate among the PvRBP family. The functional activity of the PvRBP family on merozoite invasion remains unknown.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Alternative Invasion Mechanisms and Host Immune Response to Plasmodium vivax Malaria: Trends and Future Directions Daniel Kepple, Kareen Pestana, Junya Tomida, Abnet Abebe, Lemu Golassa, Eugenia Lo Microorganisms.2020; 9(1): 15. CrossRef
Epitope-Based Vaccine Designing of Nocardia asteroides Targeting the Virulence Factor Mce-Family Protein by Immunoinformatics Approach Prasanta Patra, Niladri Mondal, Bidhan Chandra Patra, Manojit Bhattacharya International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics.2020; 26(2): 1165. CrossRef
Plasmodium vivax
Reticulocyte Binding Proteins for invasion into reticulocytes
Li‐Jin Chan, Melanie H. Dietrich, Wang Nguitragool, Wai‐Hong Tham Cellular Microbiology.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
From a basic to a functional approach for developing a blood stage vaccine against Plasmodium vivax Manuel Alfonso Patarroyo, Gabriela Arévalo-Pinzón, Darwin A. Moreno-Pérez Expert Review of Vaccines.2020; 19(2): 195. CrossRef
Inferring Plasmodium vivax protein biology by using omics data D.A. Moreno-Pérez, M.A. Patarroyo Journal of Proteomics.2020; 218: 103719. CrossRef
Prediction of B cell and T‐helper cell epitopes candidates of bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) by in silico approach Negar Hooshmand, Jamal Fayazi, Saleh Tabatabaei, Nader Ghaleh Golab Behbahan Veterinary Medicine and Science.2020; 6(4): 730. CrossRef
Serodiagnostic antigens of Clonorchis sinensis identified and evaluated by high-throughput proteogenomics Pyo Yun Cho, Ji-Yun Lee, Tae Im Kim, Jin-Ho Song, Sung-Jong Hong, Won Gi Yoo, Takafumi Tsuboi, Kwon-Soo Ha, Jae-Wan Jung, Satoru Takeo, Eun-Taek Han, Banchob Sripa, Sung-Tae Hong, Jong-Yil Chai, Ho-Woo Nam, Jhang Ho Pak, Tong-Soo Kim, Krystyna Cwiklinski PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2020; 14(12): e0008998. CrossRef
Contribution ofPlasmodiumimmunomics: potential impact for serological testing and surveillance of malaria Kokouvi Kassegne, Eniola Michael Abe, Yan-Bing Cui, Shen-Bo Chen, Bin Xu, Wang-Ping Deng, Hai-Mo Shen, Yue Wang, Jun-Hu Chen, Xiao-Nong Zhou Expert Review of Proteomics.2019; 16(2): 117. CrossRef
Identification and Immunological Characterization of the Ligand Domain of Plasmodium vivax Reticulocyte Binding Protein 1a Francis B Ntumngia, Richard Thomson-Luque, Sandra Galusic, Gabriel Frato, Sarah Frischmann, David S Peabody, Bryce Chackerian, Marcelo U Ferreira, Christopher L King, John H Adams The Journal of Infectious Diseases.2018; 218(7): 1110. CrossRef
Plasmodium vivax vaccine research – we’ve only just begun Wai-Hong Tham, James G. Beeson, Julian C. Rayner International Journal for Parasitology.2017; 47(2-3): 111. CrossRef
What Is Known about the Immune Response Induced by Plasmodium vivax Malaria Vaccine Candidates? Carolina López, Yoelis Yepes-Pérez, Natalia Hincapié-Escobar, Diana Díaz-Arévalo, Manuel A. Patarroyo Frontiers in Immunology.2017;[Epub] CrossRef
Identification of a reticulocyte-specific binding domain of Plasmodium vivax reticulocyte-binding protein 1 that is homologous to the PfRh4 erythrocyte-binding domain Jin-Hee Han, Seong-Kyun Lee, Bo Wang, Fauzi Muh, Myat Htut Nyunt, Sunghun Na, Kwon-Soo Ha, Seok-Ho Hong, Won Sun Park, Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Takafumi Tsuboi, Eun-Taek Han Scientific Reports.2016;[Epub] CrossRef
Plasmodium vivax GPI-anchored micronemal antigen (PvGAMA) binds human erythrocytes independent of Duffy antigen status Yang Cheng, Feng Lu, Bo Wang, Jian Li, Jin-Hee Han, Daisuke Ito, Deok-Hoon Kong, Lubin Jiang, Jian Wu, Kwon-Soo Ha, Eizo Takashima, Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Jun Cao, Myat Htut Nyunt, Myat Phone Kyaw, Sanjay A. Desai, Louis H. Miller, Takafumi Tsuboi, Eun-Ta Scientific Reports.2016;[Epub] CrossRef
Plasmodium vivax Reticulocyte Binding Proteins Are Key Targets of Naturally Acquired Immunity in Young Papua New Guinean Children Camila T. França, Wen-Qiang He, Jakub Gruszczyk, Nicholas T. Y. Lim, Enmoore Lin, Benson Kiniboro, Peter M. Siba, Wai-Hong Tham, Ivo Mueller, Henk D. F. H. Schallig PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2016; 10(9): e0005014. CrossRef
Gene Models, Expression Repertoire, and Immune Response of Plasmodium vivax Reticulocyte Binding Proteins Jenni Hietanen, Anongruk Chim-ong, Thanprakorn Chiramanewong, Jakub Gruszczyk, Wanlapa Roobsoong, Wai-Hong Tham, Jetsumon Sattabongkot, Wang Nguitragool, J. H. Adams Infection and Immunity.2016; 84(3): 677. CrossRef
First
Prev
