Malaria surveillance from both ends: concurrent detection of Plasmodium falciparum in saliva and excreta harvested from Anopheles mosquitoes

Ramírez, Ana L.; Hurk, Andrew F. van den; Mackay, Ian M.; Yang, Annie S. P.; Hewitson, Glen; McMahon, Jamie; Boddey, Justin A; Ritchie, Scott A.; Erickson, Sara M.

doi:10.1186/s13071-019-3610-9

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…It remains to be a high concern of the World Health Organization due to the continued emergence and spread of drugresistant parasites and insecticide-resistant mosquitoes [1]. Malaria prevention and control primarily relies on Anopheles-targeted intervention strategies [2]. Consequently, a further understanding of the interaction between the Anopheles mosquito and Plasmodium is extremely urgent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gut microbiota is essential in PGRP-LA regulated immune protection against Plasmodium berghei infection

2020

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Background: Malaria remains to be one of the deadliest infectious diseases and imposes substantial financial and social costs in the world. Mosquitoes rely on the immune system to control parasite infection. Peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs), a family of pattern-recognition receptors (PRR), are responsible for initiating and regulating immune signaling pathways. PGRP-LA is involved in the regulation of immune defense against the Plasmodium parasite, however, the underlying mechanism needs to be further elucidated. Methods: The spatial and temporal expression patterns of pgrp-la in Anopheles stephensi were analyzed by qPCR. The function of PGRP-LA was examined using a dsRNA-based RNA interference strategy. Western blot and periodic acid schiff (PAS) staining were used to assess the structural integrity of peritrophic matrix (PM). Results: The expression of pgrp-la in An. stephensi was induced in the midgut in response to the rapid proliferating gut microbiota post-blood meal. Knocking down of pgrp-la led to the downregulation of immune effectors that control gut microbiota growth. The decreased expression of these immune genes also facilitated P. berghei infection. However, such dsLA treatment did not influence the structural integrity of PM. When gut microbiota was removed by antibiotic treatment, the regulation of PGRP-LA on immune effectors was abolished and the knock down of pgrp-la failed to increase susceptibility of mosquitoes to parasite infection. Conclusions: PGRP-LA regulates the immune responses by sensing the dynamics of gut microbiota. A mutual interaction between gut microbiota and PGRP-LA contributes to the immune defense against Plasmodium parasites in An. stephensi.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gut microbiota is essential in PGRP-LA regulated immune protection against Plasmodium berghei infection

2020

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“…The use of mosquito E/ F for MX purposes has recently been demonstrated for a variety of arboviruses [23][24][25], showing that viral RNA can also be detected in the field [26]. A recent laboratory study has also shown that Plasmodium falciparum RNA can be detected concomitantly in the excreta and saliva of infected Anopheles stephensi, with good concordance between the two types of sample [27]. However, to our knowledge, E/F collections for the detection of eukaryotic pathogens have yet to be conducted in a field setting.…”

Section: Plos Neglected Tropical Diseasesmentioning

confidence: 98%

Field evaluation of DNA detection of human filarial and malaria parasites using mosquito excreta/feces

et al. 2020

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We recently developed a superhydrophobic cone-based method for the collection of mosquito excreta/feces (E/F) for the molecular xenomonitoring of vector-borne parasites showing higher throughput compared to the traditional approach. To test its field applicability, we used this platform to detect the presence of filarial and malaria parasites in two villages of Ghana and compared results to those for detection in mosquito carcasses and human blood. We compared the molecular detection of three parasites (Wuchereria bancrofti, Plasmodium falciparum and Mansonella perstans) in mosquito E/F, mosquito carcasses and human blood collected from the same households in two villages in the Savannah Region of the country. We successfully detected the parasite DNA in mosquito E/F from indoor resting mosquitoes, including W. bancrofti which had a very low community prevalence (2.5-3.8%). Detection in the E/F samples was concordant with detection in insect whole carcasses and human blood, and a parasite not vectored by mosquitoes was detected as well.Our approach to collect and test mosquito E/F successfully detected a variety of parasites at varying prevalence in the human population under field conditions, including a pathogen (M. perstans) which is not transmitted by mosquitoes. The method shows promise for further development and applicability for the early detection and surveillance of a variety of pathogens carried in human blood.

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“…Epidemiological and ecological studies of malaria traditionally utilize detection of Plasmodium sporozoites in whole mosquitoes or salivary glands by microscopy ( Habluetzel et al., 1992 ), or serological ( Wirtz et al., 1987 ) or molecular assays ( Echeverry et al., 2017 ; Calzetta et al., 2018 ). However, these methods are time-consuming, require skill and expertise, are labour-intensive, and can over- or underestimate mosquito transmission potential ( Ramirez et al., 2019 ). Thus, there is a need for new technologies to improve mosquito surveillance programmes, and miRNA-based assays could accurately detect infected mosquitoes in a short period of time, with the potential to inform decision-making in the fight against malaria.…”

Section: Buzzing Around: the Vector Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

Harnessing the Potential of miRNAs in Malaria Diagnostic and Prevention

Gupta

Wassmer

2021

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.

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Despite encouraging progress over the past decade, malaria remains a major global health challenge. Its severe form accounts for the majority of malaria-related deaths, and early diagnosis is key for a positive outcome. However, this is hindered by the non-specific symptoms caused by malaria, which often overlap with those of other viral, bacterial and parasitic infections. In addition, current tools are unable to detect the nature and degree of vital organ dysfunction associated with severe malaria, as complications develop silently until the effective treatment window is closed. It is therefore crucial to identify cheap and reliable early biomarkers of this wide-spectrum disease. microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs, are rapidly released into the blood circulation upon physiological changes, including infection and organ damage. The present review details our current knowledge of miRNAs as biomarkers of specific organ dysfunction in patients with malaria, and both promising candidates identified by pre-clinical models and important knowledge gaps are highlighted for future evaluation in humans. miRNAs associated with infected vectors are also described, with a view to expandind this rapidly growing field of research to malaria transmission and surveillance.

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Malaria surveillance from both ends: concurrent detection of Plasmodium falciparum in saliva and excreta harvested from Anopheles mosquitoes

Cited by 17 publications

References 47 publications

Gut microbiota is essential in PGRP-LA regulated immune protection against Plasmodium berghei infection

Gut microbiota is essential in PGRP-LA regulated immune protection against Plasmodium berghei infection

Field evaluation of DNA detection of human filarial and malaria parasites using mosquito excreta/feces

Harnessing the Potential of miRNAs in Malaria Diagnostic and Prevention

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