Ángela Patricia Guerra

Asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection in Tierralta, Colombia

With the aim of determining the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection by thick smear and PCR and its association with demographic and epidemiological characteristics in the village of Nuevo Tay, Tierralta, Córdoba, Colombia, a cross-sectional population study was carried out, using random probabilistic sampling. Venous blood samples were taken from 212 people on day 0 for thick smear and PCR. Clinical follow-up and thick smears were carried out on days 14 and 28. The prevalence of Plasmodium spp. infection was 17.9% (38/212; 95% CI: 12.5-23.3%) and the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodiumspp. infection was 14.6% (31/212; 95% CI: 9.6-19.6%). Plasmodium vivax was found more frequently (20/31; 64.5%) than Plasmodium falciparum (9/31; 29%) and mixed infections (2/31; 6.5%). A significantly higher prevalence of asymptomatic infection was found in men (19.30%) than in women (9.18%) (prevalence ratio: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.01-4.34%; p = 0.02). People who developed symptoms had a significantly higher parasitemia on day 0 than those who remained asymptomatic, of 1,881.5 +/- 3,759 versus 79 +/- 106.9 (p = 0.008). PCR detected 50% more infections than the thick smears. The presence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection highlights the importance of carrying out active searches amongst asymptomatic populations residing in endemic areas.

Comparison of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection in two malaria-endemic Colombian locations

BACKGROUND Asymptomatic infection by Plasmodium spp. could help explain the dynamics of malaria transmission in low-transmission regions. We therefore compared the prevalence of asymptomatic infection by Plasmodium spp. in two Colombian locations, Tierralta and Tumaco, with different transmission patterns, different ecological and epidemiological characteristics and potentially different associated factors. METHOD Two cross-sectional studies were carried out between September 2006 and November 2007. Infection by Plasmodium spp. was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopy. RESULTS Prevalence of asymptomatic infection at day 0 in Tierralta was 11.3% (95% CI 7.2-16.8) by microscopy and 16.5% (95% CI 11.5-22.9) by PCR, while in Tumaco, values were 2.4% (95% CI 0.7-5.5) and 5.8% (95% CI 2.3-9.2) respectively. General prevalence of asymptomatic plasmodium infection after 28 days of follow-up was 5% (95% CI 3.2-7.7), 6.6% (95% CI 3.8-10.6%) in Tierralta and 3.4% (95% CI 1.5-6.6%) in Tumaco. Plasmodium vivax was predominant in Tierralta, P. falciparum in Tumaco. The main associated factors were male sex (aOR 2.5; 95% CI 1.0-6.7) and two to five previous malaria episodes (aOR 3.0; 95% CI 1.0-9.4). PCR detected 61% more infections than microscopy. CONCLUSION Measurement of the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection is suggested as part of the epidemiologic evaluation of malaria in low-transmission areas such as Colombia.

Polymorphism in the Plasmodium vivax msp 3: gene in field samples from Tierralta, Colombia

We evaluated the Plasmodium vivax polymorphism by studying the Pvmsp-3alpha genes polymorphic region by PCR-RFLP in 55 samples from patients living in Tierralta, Colombia. Three different sizes of the Pvmsp-3 alpha gene were found, type A (1,900 bp), type B (1,500 bp) and type C (1,100 bp); most of the samples were type A (96.4 %). The Pvmsp-3alpha gene exhibited high polymorphism. Seven restriction patterns were found when using Alu I, and nine were found with Hha I; 12 different alleles were obtained when these patterns were combined. The findings suggest that this gene could be used in Colombia as a molecular epidemiologic marker for genotyping P. vivax.

Paradoxical associations between soil-transmitted helminths and Plasmodium falciparum infection

Evidence on the comorbidity between soil-transmitted helminth infections and malaria is scarce and divergent. This study explored the interactions between soil-transmitted helminth infections and uncomplicated falciparum malaria in an endemic area of Colombia. A paired case-control study matched by sex, age and location in Tierralta, Cordoba, was done between January and September 2010. The incident cases were 68 patients with falciparum malaria and 178 asymptomatic controls. A questionnaire was used to gather information on sociodemographic variables. Additionally physical examinations were carried out, stool samples were analysed for intestinal parasites and blood samples for Ig E concentrations. We found associations between infection with hookworm (OR: 4.21; 95% CI: 1.68-11.31) and Ascaris lumbricoides (OR 0.43; 95% CI: 0.18-1.04) and the occurrence of falciparum malaria. The effects of soil-transmitted helminths on the occurrence of malaria were found to be paradoxical. While hookworm is a risk factor, A. lumbricoides has a protective effect. The findings suggest that, in addition to the comorbidity, the presence of common determinants of soil-transmitted helminth infections and malaria could also exist. While the biological mechanisms involved are not clear, public health policies aimed at the control of their common social and environmental determinants are suggested.

Mutaciones puntuales en los genes dhfr y dhps de Plasmodium falciparum de tres regiones endémicas

INTRODUCTION Plasmodium falciparum has the ability to counter the antiparasitic activity of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine by progressively accumulating mutations in the dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) genes. These mutations gradually increase the resistance of the parasite to these drugs and lead to therapeutic failure. OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency of mutations associated with resistance to sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine in the dhfr and dhps genes of P. falciparum in samples from patients in three endemic zones of Colombia -La Carpa, Guaviare; Casuarito, Vichada; and Tierralta and Puerto Libertador, Córdoba. MATERIALS AND METHODS Forty samples were selected from patients with uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria. The frequency profiles of the 108, 59 and 164 alleles of dhfr were obtained by application of an allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, whereas the other alleles (alleles 51 of the dhfr gene and 436, 437 and 540 of dhps) were obtained by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS The 108N and 51I mutations in the dhfr gene were found in all of the 40 samples. No mutant alleles were found in the 59 and 164 codons of the dhfr gene, or in the 436 codon of the dhps gene. The 437G mutation was observed in 36 samples and the wild-type allele was present in 3 from Tierralta and one from La Carpa. The 540E mutation was only detected in two samples from Casuarito. CONCLUSIONS The 108N, 51I and 437G mutations prevail in the populations of P. falciparum, indicating a cumulative effect of mutations and the need to continue surveillance for other changes which can lead to the total loss of the efficacy of sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine.

Haplotypes associated with resistance to sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine in Plasmodium falciparum in two malaria endemic locations in Colombia

Colombia has four main malaria transmission zones. In vivo efficacy studies carried out in these areas showed big differences in the response of Plasmodium falciparum to treatment with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine. In addition, there is still insufficient information about the genetics of P. falciparum populations. The objective of this study was to determine the haplotypes in dhfr and dhps genes of P. falciparum circulating in two distinct endemic zones. Samples from patients with non-complicated P. falciparum malaria were collected: 135 from Tumaco and 206 from Tierralta. Alleles 108 and 51 of the dhfr gene, and 437 and 540 of the dhps gene were analyzed by PCR/enzymatic restriction, while alleles 59 and 164 (dhfr), and 581(dhps) by PCR/dot blot/hybridization. Five different haplotypes were found, of which the triple mutant 51I/C59/108N/I164/437G/K540/A581 was the most frequent (54.6%). In Tumaco, the parasites with wild haplotype predominated, while mutant parasites predominated in Tierralta. Another interesting finding is the presence of the C59R mutation in the dhfr gene in two samples, a mutation rarely found in South America. These data provide information about parasite population genetics and highlight the importance of starting a long term molecular surveillance program.

Baseline in vivo, ex vivo and molecular responses of Plasmodium falciparum to artemether and lumefantrine in three endemic zones for malaria in Colombia

Background Colombia began using artemisinin-based combination therapies for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 2006. It is necessary to implement resistance surveillance to antimalarial drugs in order to promptly detect changes in parasite susceptibility. The aim of this study was to establish a susceptibility baseline of P. falciparum to artemether-lumefantrine using three monitoring tools. Methods Patients with uncomplicated malaria treated with artemether-lumefantrine underwent clinical and parasitological follow-up over 28 days. Ex vivo test was performed using the microtest technique for chloroquine, arthemeter, dihydroartemisinin and lumefantrine. Pfmdr1 copy number and polymorphisms in Pfk13, Pfatp6, Pfcrt and Pfmdr1 genes were analyzed. Results From a total of 150 screened patients, 49 completed follow-up for 28 days. All treated patients had adequate clinical and parasitological responses. Parasitic clearance showed a drastic reduction of parasite biomass at 24 hours and complete elimination at 48 hours. One hundred eleven isolates were processed, all exhibited high susceptibility to artemisinins and a slight decrease in susceptibility to lumefantrine. No genetic polymorphisms associated with resistance to artemisinin were found. Conclusion This study generated a susceptibility baseline in response to therapy with Coartem (artemether-lumefantrine) with numerical reference values, which will allow data comparison with future studies to systematically monitor changes in the parasite and to provide an early alert to the health authorities.