Female Anopheles Mosquitoes Research Articles

PERSISTENCE POSITIVITY OF LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE RAPID DIAGNOSTIC TESTS ANTIGENS IN PREGNANT WOMEN AFTER ANTIMALARIA TREATMENT IN SOME HOSPITALS IN KATSINA

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable. This study investigates the persistent positivity of Lactate Dehydrogenase (pLDH) Rapid diagnostic tests antigens in pregnant women after antimalarial treatment. The study was conducted in Turai Yaradua Maternity and Children’s Hospital Katsina and Federal Medical Centre Katsina. Samples were collected with the help of trained physicians. The result from this study shows that lactate dehydrogenase antigen persists in the blood after treatment with fensider (antimalaria drug). After administering the drug to the pregnant women found to be positive for malaria, it was observed that in all the age groups, day 3, day 7, and day 14 post-drug treatment were all still positive for malaria using the pLDH malaria rapid diagnostic tool. It was also observed that after 21 days post-treatment, all the different age groups were still positive for malaria except those aged 45 to 50 (95.0%). There is no statistically significant difference between the age of pregnancy p>0.05. The percentage positivity of pLDH started changing day 21 in 3rd trimester and the change peak at day 28 post-drug treatment in all three trimesters. There is no statistical significance difference between the age of pregnancy p>0.05. However, the first trimester shows the highest negative result (66.7%). It also shows that age, tribe, trimester of pregnancy, and occupation were statistically not associated with the persistence positivity of the pLDH. The parasite density might be responsible..

Quest for malaria management using natural remedies.

Malaria, transmitted through the bite of a Plasmodium-infected Anopheles mosquito, remains a significant global health concern. This review examines the complex life cycle of Plasmodium, emphasizing the role of humans and mosquitoes in its transmission and proliferation. Malarial parasites are transmitted as sporozoites to the human body by biting an infected female Anopheles mosquito. These sporozoites then invade liver cells, multiply, and release merozoites, which infect red blood cells, perpetuating the cycle. As this cycle continues, the affected person starts experiencing the clinical symptoms of the disease. The current treatments for malaria, including chloroquine, artemisinin-based combination therapy, and quinine, are discussed alongside the challenges of drug resistance and misdiagnosis. Although efforts have been made to develop a malarial vaccine, they have so far been unsuccessful. Additionally, the review explores the potential of medicinal plants as remedies for malaria, highlighting the efficacy of compounds derived from Artemisia annua, Cinchona species, and Helianthus annuus L., as well as exploration of plants and phytocompounds like cryptolepine, and isoliquiritigenin against drug-resistant Plasmodium species. Moreover, studies from Pakistan further highlight the diverse vegetal resources utilized in malaria treatment, emphasizing the need for further research into natural remedies. Despite the advantages of herbal medicines, including cost-effectiveness, and fewer side effects; their limitations must be taken into account, including variations in potency and potential drug interactions. The review concludes by advocating for a balanced approach to malaria treatment and prevention, emphasizing the importance of early detection, accurate diagnosis, and integrated efforts to combat the disease in the endemic regions.

LLIN Evaluation in Uganda Project (LLINEUP)–effects of a vector control trial on Plasmodium infection prevalence and genotypic markers of insecticide resistance in Anopheles vectors from 48 districts of Uganda

Pyrethroid bednets treated with the synergist piperonyl butoxide (PBO) offer the possibility of improved vector control in mosquito populations with metabolic resistance. In 2017–2019, we conducted a large-scale, cluster-randomised trial (LLINEUP) to evaluate long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) treated with a pyrethroid insecticide plus PBO (PBO LLINs), as compared to conventional, pyrethroid-only LLINs across 104 health sub-districts (HSDs) in Uganda. In LLINEUP, and similar trials in Tanzania, PBO LLINs were found to provide greater protection against malaria than conventional LLINs, reducing parasitaemia and vector density. In the LLINEUP trial, we conducted cross-sectional household entomological surveys at baseline and then every 6 months for two years, which we use here to investigate longitudinal changes in mosquito infection rate and genetic markers of resistance. Overall, 5395 female Anopheles mosquitoes were collected from 5046 households. The proportion of mosquitoes infected (PCR-positive) with Plasmodium falciparum did not change significantly over time, while infection with non-falciparum malaria decreased in An. gambiae s.s., but not An. funestus. The frequency of genetic markers associated with pyrethroid resistance increased significantly over time, but the rate of change was not different between the two LLIN types. The knock-down resistance (kdr) mutation Vgsc-995S declined over time as Vgsc-995F, the alternative resistance mutation at this codon, increased. Vgsc-995F appears to be spreading into Uganda. Distribution of LLINs in Uganda was previously found to be associated with reductions in parasite prevalence and vector density, but here we show that the proportion of infective mosquitoes remained stable across both PBO and non-PBO LLINs, suggesting that the potential for transmission persisted. The increased frequency of markers of pyrethroid resistance indicates that LLIN distribution favoured the evolution of resistance within local vectors and highlights the potential benefits of resistance management strategies.Trial registration: This study is registered with ISRCTN, ISRCTN17516395. Registered 14 February 2017, http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17516395.

Malaria Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors among Children under Five Years Attending Kitwe Health Center IV in Ntungamo District

Malaria is an acute febrile illness with the following symptoms: fever, headache, and chills. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium species, which is spread by female anopheles mosquito bites. This study aimed to assess the malaria prevalence and associated risk factors among children under five years attending Kitwe Health Center IV in Ntungamo District. This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study design, 50 caregivers of children attending the children’s ward of Kitwe Health Center IV were selected using simple random sampling techniques, and self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0, and presented as percentage and frequency in tables, figure, and charts. Of 50 participants, 14(28.0%) tested positive for malaria. However, the majority of the children 25(50.0%) were within the age bracket of 6-12 months 29(58.0%) were female 32(64.0%) came from rural settings 28(56.0%) had more than 4 children staying together in the same household, 33(66.0%) said they hadn’t sprayed their houses with insecticide, 30(60.0%) knew that malaria can be transmitted through a mosquito bite, 36(72.0%) said they are sleeping under a treated mosquito, 30(60.0%) of the participants said they have stagnant water near their residential houses. Only 23(46.0%) of the participants said they have bushes around their homes. Malaria prevalence among children under-five years remains high at 28.0% which is slightly lower than the national standard findings of 30.2%. Factors such as age, number of children in the same households, education status of the caregivers, and their average monthly income greatly predisposed these children to malaria however other risk factors such as not spraying the household with insecticides and having stagnant water around the home were majorly reported by the caregivers. Keywords: Malaria Prevalence, Associated Risk Factors, Children Under-Five years

Spatio-temporal characterization of phenotypic resistance in malaria vector species.

Malaria, a deadly disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa parasite and transmitted through bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes, remains a significant public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa. Efforts to eliminate malaria have increasingly focused on vector control using insecticides. However, the emergence of insecticide resistance (IR) in malaria vectors pose a formidable obstacle, and the current IR mapping models remain static, relying on fixed coefficients. This study introduces a dynamic spatio-temporal approach to characterize phenotypic resistance in Anopheles gambiae complex and Anopheles arabiensis. We developed a cellular automata (CA) model and applied it to data collected from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Burkina Faso. The data encompasses georeferenced records detailing IR levels in mosquito vector populations across various classes of insecticides. In characterizing the dynamic patterns of confirmed resistance, we identified key driving factors through correlation analysis, chi-square tests, and extensive literature review. The CA model demonstrated robustness in capturing the spatio-temporal dynamics of confirmed IR states in the vector populations. In our model, the key driving factors included insecticide usage, agricultural activities, human population density, Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) characteristics, and environmental variables. The CA model developed offers a robust tool for countries that have limited data on confirmed IR in malaria vectors. The embrace of a dynamical modeling approach and accounting for evolving conditions and influences, contribute to deeper understanding of IR dynamics, and can inform effective strategies for malaria vector control, and prevention in regions facing this critical health challenge.

Malaria during COVID-19 Travel Restrictions in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Malaria is a parasitic infection that may result in an acute, life-threatening illness. It is a major public health problem in the tropical world. The disease is caused by the parasites of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Saudi Arabia is in the elimination phase of malaria control. Several parts of Saudi Arabia report cases of imported malaria among travelers and visitors. The city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia has a population of about 2.3 million. Moreover, over 6 million religious visitors from different parts of the world visit Makkah annually. During the COVID-19 outbreak, travel restrictions were enforced in Makkah to contain the spread of COVID-19. We compare the total reported cases of malaria in Makkah before, during, and after COVID-19 travel restrictions in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Data on demographics, clinical data, and laboratory parameters were collected from the medical records of the Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. The annual malaria incidence rates in Makkah were 29.13/million people (2018), 37.82/million people (2019), 15.65/million people (2020), 12.61/million people (2021), and 48.69/million people (2022). Most of the malaria cases in Makkah were caused by Plasmodium falciparum, followed by P. vivax. Sudan, Nigeria, Yamen, Pakistan, and India are the top five countries contributing to malaria cases in Makkah. Weekly malaria case analyses revealed that COVID-19-related travel restrictions resulted in zero malaria cases in Makkah, indicating the magnitude of the travel-related malaria burden in the city.

AI DRIVEN BLOOD CELL ANALYSIS FOR MALARIA AND BLOOD CANCER SCREENING

Malaria and blood Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases cross the globe. This is caused by the bite of female Anopheles mosquito that transmits the Plasmodium parasites. Some current malaria detection techniques include manual microscopic examination and RDT. These approaches are vulnerable to human mistakes. Early detection of malaria can help in reducing the death rates across the globe.Deep Learning can emerge as a highly beneficial solution in the diagnosis of disease. This model gives a faster and cheaper method for detecting plasmodium parasites. It Was Designed to Identify Malaria Parasites and Cancerous Cell Presence in Blood Using Images of Blood Samples which got Tested with Giemsa-stain. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are then trained on these extracted features to accurately classify blood cell images into disease positive or disease-negative categories. The CNN detects malaria parasites in microscopic images by classifying them into parasitized and healthy cells, enabling the detection of malaria parasites. The proposed model consists of three convolutional layers and fully connected layers each. The neural network presented is a cascade of several convolutional layers having multiple filters present in layers, which yields the exceptionally good accuracy as per the available resources. The experiment results demonstrate a significant improvement in malaria parasite and blood cancer recognition. Compared to traditional manual microscopy, the proposed system is more accurate and faster. Finally, this study demonstrates the need to provide robust and efficient solutions by leveraging state-of-the-art technologies to combat malaria and blood cancer. Keywords : Deep Learning, CNN, Image analysis , InceptionresnetV2

Malaria Parasitemia and Severe Health Complications in Children Under Five Years of Age in Nigeria: A Study Using the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) 2021.

In Nigeria, 97% of the population is at risk of contracting malaria. It is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes carrying the Plasmodium parasite and can be lethal. An estimated 55 million illnesses and 80,000 deaths per year result from it. Children under five are more likely to contract malaria. Efforts to control malaria in Nigeria include indoor residual spraying, insecticide-treated bed nets, and quick detection and treatment of confirmed cases with effective antimalarial medications. These attempts have been impeded by limited healthcare access, poor financing, and drug-resistant parasites. Thus, the study of therelationship between malaria complications and housing for children under five is essential. The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) 2021, a nationally representative data set from developing countries on population and health, was used for this study. A sample size of 13,727 was employed (n=13,727). Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the association between the type of place of residence and malaria complications (outcome). Overall, 4.2% (n=570, weight HV005) of participants in the sample reported malaria complications. The results of the logistic regression revealed that children residing in urban settlements (aOR 0.37, 95% CI 0.37-0.37, p-value <0.001), children from the poorest class families (aOR 11.63, 95% CI 1.62-1.63, p-value 0.004), children from poorer class families (aOR 7.56, 95% CI 7.55-7.57, p-value <0.001), children from middle-class families (aOR 4.05, 95% CI 4.03-9.06, p-value <0.001), children from richer class families (aOR 1.22, 95% CI 2.21-2.23, p-value <0.001), children of mothers with primary education (aOR 0.42, 95% CI 2.32-4.112, p-value 0.001), children of mothers with secondary education (aOR 0.24, 95% CI 3.21-3.22, p-value <0.001), children of mothers with higher education (aOR 0.08, 95% CI 0.72-0.80, p-value <0.001), and children of the female gender (aOR 0.65, 95% CI 0.65-0.66, p-value <0.001) are all associated with severe malaria complications. In conclusion, the study examined malaria complications in Nigerian children under five by residency. The findings imply that rural children are more likely to have serious malaria complications than urban children. This emphasizes the necessity for targeted malaria therapies in rural areas with limited healthcare access.

Assessment of the Effect of Neem Plant Products on House Mosquito Repellency: A Case Study of Burera and Gicumbi Districts

Insect pests, diseases, and weeds are interlinked and complement each other. Mosquito bites constitute a nuisance to man and his environment. The female Anopheles mosquito transmits malaria parasites, Aedes aegygti mosquitoes are known to transmit yellow fever and dengue fever. Therefore, the present study seeks to assess the effect of neem plant products on house mosquito repelling. A case study of Burera, and Gicumbi Districts. A cross-section sampling technique was used in this study. Six respondents were selected from each category to make a sixth (60) respondent sample size. The results of this study indicated that neem oil, neem leaves, and neem smoke were most effective for repelling mosquitoes respectively at (p &amp;lt;0.01). There was a statistically significant difference between the various neem products repelling mosquito bites (Number of observations 60; P-Value &amp;lt; 0.0001, and R&amp;lt;sup&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sup&amp;gt; of 0.833). The finding of this study also indicated that using neem plant products to repel mosquitoes should increase neem plant product value, reduce costs of chemical insecticides, increase mosquito repellency, reduce disease vectors, increase the use of biological control, control mosquito bites, reduce the death of children under five years, and increase research studies. The high need for support for increasing research on eco-friendly techniques and strategies should be enhanced as well as reducing chemical pesticide use which increases Greenhouse gas emissions and reduction of pollinators.

Malaria parasitic detection using a new Deep Boosted and Ensemble Learning framework

Malaria is a potentially fatal plasmodium parasite injected by female anopheles mosquitoes that infect red blood cells and cause millions of lifelong disability worldwide yearly. However, specialists’ manual screening in clinical practice is laborious and prone to error. Therefore, a novel Deep Boosted and Ensemble Learning (DBEL) framework, comprising the stacking of new Boosted-BR-STM convolutional neural networks (CNN) and the ensemble ML classifiers, is developed to screen malaria parasite images. The proposed Boosted-BR-STM is based on a new dilated-convolutional block-based Split Transform Merge (STM) and feature-map Squeezing–Boosting (SB) ideas. Moreover, the new STM block uses regional and boundary operations to learn the malaria parasite’s homogeneity, heterogeneity, and boundary with patterns. Furthermore, the diverse boosted channels are attained by employing Transfer Learning-based new feature-map SB in STM blocks at the abstract, medium, and conclusion levels to learn minute intensity and texture variation of the parasitic pattern. Additionally, to enhance the learning capacity of Boosted-BR-STM and foster a more diverse representation of features, boosting at the final stage is achieved through TL by utilizing multipath residual learning. The proposed DBEL framework implicates the stacking of prominent and diverse boosted channels and provides the generated discriminative features of the developed Boosted-BR-STM to the ensemble of ML classifiers. The proposed framework improves the discrimination ability and generalization of ensemble learning. Moreover, the deep feature spaces of the developed Boosted-BR-STM and customized CNNs are fed into ML classifiers for comparative analysis. The proposed DBEL framework outperforms the existing techniques on the NIH malaria dataset that are enhanced using discrete wavelet transform to enrich feature space. The proposed DBEL framework achieved Accuracy (98.50%), Sensitivity (0.9920), F-score (0.9850), and AUC (0.9960), which suggests it to be utilized for malaria parasite screening.

Prevalence of Human Malaria Parasite among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care at Eldin Specialist Hospital Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Malaria infection is a severe parasitic infectious disease transmitted by the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. The disease presents with severe consequences in pregnant women and children &lt;5 years, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where the burden of the disease is highest. Malaria in pregnancy may present with severe symptoms such as miscarriages, premature delivery, low-birth-weight neonates, and neonatal death. This study therefore determined the prevalence of malaria infection among pregnant women in Jos Metropolis. Capillary blood samples were collected from 200 symptomatic pregnant women attending Eldin Specialist Hospital, in Jos, and thin and thick blood Giemsa-stained films were prepared and examined for the presence of malaria parasites. Our findings revealed that 70(35%) of the 200 pregnant women sampled were infected. Based on gravidity, incidence of malaria infection was highest in the primigravidae 45 (41.9%) as compared to multigravidae 25 (27.8%) although decreasing with gestational age, as subjects in their first trimester were more infected 44 (44.0%) with the least being those in their third trimester14 (21.5%). Two peaks of infection were encountered in respect to age; 46.2% in subjects aged 20-24 years and 42.9% in subjects aged 30-39 years with the least infection recorded in subjects aged &gt; 39 years, 17.9%. Malaria incidence is decreasing in the country due to scale up intervention and prevention measures, however, malaria still remains a major public health problem among pregnant women and deliberate efforts need to be put in place to forestall the negative impact of this disease.

Penyuluhan Pencegahan Penularan Penyakit Malaria kepada Masyarakat di Desa Kampung Baru Kelurahan Galang Baru Kota Batam

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. It targets erythrocytes and manifests with symptoms such as fever, chills, anemia, and splenomegaly, either acutely or chronically, transmitted to humans through the bite of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria remains a public health problem in many areas, including Kampung Baru Village, Galang Baru Subdistrict, Batam City. In order to fulfill the mission of community service, we have designed a comprehensive and sustainable education program to increase awareness and knowledge of the community about malaria. This program not only focuses on educating about the prevention and management of the disease but also directly involves active participation of the community in the learning and implementation process. Through collaboration with various parties, such as community leaders, health workers, and local leaders, we aim to create an environment that supports sustainable behavioral change in malaria prevention efforts. Additionally, we integrate a multidisciplinary approach in this program by addressing specific challenges faced in the local context, such as limited access to healthcare services, environmental conditions conducive to the breeding of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, and socio-economic factors influencing prevention and treatment efforts. Thus, this education program aims not only to reduce the burden of malaria in Kampung Baru Village and its surroundings but also serves as a tangible contribution to fulfilling the tri dharma activities of higher education institutions in the field of community service.

Intense malarial transmission during the dry season in irrigated rice-growing areas: a case study in Sakassou, Côte d'Ivoire.

The health district of Sakassou is one of the 83 health districts in Côte d'Ivoire, located in a zone with very high malarial transmission rates, with an incidence rate of ≥40% Therefore, to guide vector control methods more effectively, it was crucial to have a good understanding of the vectors in the area. This study aimed to determine the level of malarial transmission during the dry season in Sakassou, Côte d'Ivoire. Female Anopheles mosquitoes were sampled using human landing catches (HLCs) and pyrethrum spraying catches (PSCs). The larvae were collected using the 'dipping' method. A total of 10,875 adult female mosquitoes of Anopheles gambiae were collected. The PCR analysis revealed that all individuals were Anopheles coluzzii. The geographical distribution of potential breeding sites of Anopheles showed the presence of An. coluzzii in all the wetlands of the city of Sakassou. During the dry season, the human-biting rate of An. coluzzii was 139.1 bites/person/night. An exophagic trend was displayed by an adult female of An. coluzzii. The entomological inoculation rate during the dry season was 1.49 infectious bites/person/night. This study demonstrated that An. coluzzii was the main vector of malarial transmission in Sakassou, and the intensity of transmission remains high throughout the dry season.

THE EFFECT OF JOHAR PLANT FLOWER EXTRACT “CASSIA SIAMEA” ON THE DEGREE OF PLASMODIUM BERGHEI PARASITEMIA IN VIVO

Malaria is a disease caused by a parasite of the genus Plasmodium sp. that spreads through the bite of the female Anopheles mosquito. Malaria is still a global problem because almost half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria which is endemic to 86 tropical and subtropical countries. In addition, resistance to antimalarial drugs that occur in some places makes many researchers try to find antimalarial drugs made from natural ingredients so that they can reduce the risk of resistance with minimal effects. One natural ingredient that is thought to be used as an antimalarial drug is the johar flower (Cassia siamea). The objective of this study is to determine the effect of johar flower extract (Cassia siamea) at doses of 10 mg/kgBW, 100 mg/kgBW, and 1000 mg/kgBW on the degree of parasitemia in male mice Balb/c strain infected with Plasmodium berghei. This study is an experimental study in vivo using the design of the Randomized Post-test Only Controlled Group method using 24 samples of mice which were divided into four groups, one negative control group and three treatment groups. The average degree of parasitemia was obtained in the control group of 24.9%, the 10 mg/kgBW dose treatment group of 13.4%, the 100 mg/kgBW dose treatment group of 10.3% and the 1000 mg/kgBW dose treatment group of 12.2%. Based on the results of the analysis with One-way ANOVA, an average difference was found between the control and treatment groups with a p-value &lt;0.001. The result showed that giving johar flower extract (Cassia siamea) had an influence on antimalarial activity in reducing the percentage of parasitemia of mice infected with Plasmodium berghei by looking at the average difference between the control group and the treatment and obtained the average results of the treatment group of 100 mg/kgBW and 1000 mg/kgBW had the highest influence in reducing the degree of parasitemia. Keywords: Cassia siamea, Antimalaria, Plasmodium berghei, Degree of Parasitemia

Risk factors associated with severe malaria in children under five years of age at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda.

Malaria is among the world's most common and life-threatening tropical diseases. Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted through the female Anopheles mosquito's bite, which occurs mainly between dusk and dawn. Children are mostly affected because their immune systems are not yet fully developed to fight severe forms of disease. This study determined risk factors associated with severe malaria in children under five years in the Jinja regional referral hospital in Jinja City, Eastern Uganda. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 380 participants to determine factors associated with severe malaria among children under five years. After completing data collection, the data was subsequently fed into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 for analysis. In a tabular form, each independent variable was analyzed in a univariate form; the independent variables were compared with the dependent variable in a bivariate form, then subsequently multivariate, and this served as the basis for drawing conclusions in this study. Among the 380 participants in the study, the majority (57.6%) were above 3 years old, had household heads aged 26–40 years old (56.6%), and were male (65.3%). This study found that among the socio-demographic factors, age of the child, education level of the caregiver, and marital status of the caregiver were significantly associated with severe malaria among children under five years. Further, type of toilet facility used at home, size of household, having a treated mosquito net and using it, and number of children under five years in the household were significantly associated with severe malaria among children under five years. This study further established an association between distance to the health facility, waiting hours, getting all medication while at the facility, and severe malaria among children under five years. Severe malaria among children under five years old is still a big public health challenge. Factors associated with severe malaria among children under five years include age of the child, education level of caregiver, marital status of caregiver, type of toilet facility used at home, size of household, owning a treated mosquito net, number of children under five, distance to the health facility, waiting hours, and getting all medication while at the health facility. Keywords: Risk, severe malaria, children, Jinja, regional, referral hospital, Uganda

A Dangerous Relationship: A Case of Imported Plasmodium falciparum and Salmonella Typhi Coinfection.

Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. Although domestic malaria case notification in our country is not seen in World Health Organization records, cases originating from abroad are detected. Travelers to countries where malaria is endemic can become infected with the parasite. In our country, an average of 200-250 cases of malaria originating from abroad are reported every year. Approximately 75% of malaria cases of foreign origin detected in our country are P. falciparum malaria. Malaria and salmonellosis are infections especially seen in developing countries. Although malaria-Salmonella coinfection is rare, early diagnosis and treatment are important in terms of its high mortality rate. Preliminary information and initiation of chemoprophylaxis in travels to regions where the disease is endemic remain important in transmission. In this presentation, a case was examined following a business trip to Africa without any chemoprophylaxis, who applied to a local hospital upon symptoms and was diagnosed with P. falciparum and Salmonella Typhi coinfection but given incomplete treatment. After returning to our country, the patient applying to us with complaints of high fever, chills, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain and was discharged with ful recovery. Keywords: Coinfection, malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, Salmonella Typhi.

Detection of Female Anopheles Mosquito-Infected Cells: Exploring CNN, ReLU, and Sigmoid Activation Methods

INTRODUCTION: Deep learning uses multi-layer neural networks where the algorithm decides for itself whether aspects are essential for analysis based on the raw input. In general, deep learning networks get better as more data is used to train them. For a variety of applications, convolutional neural networks are frequently used to analyse, categorize, and detect images. OBJECTIVES: The proposed system technique is used for automated analysis of malaria-detecting frameworks. A female Anopheles mosquito bite is the primary method of transmission of the blood disease malaria. It is still common to manually count and identify parasitized cells during microscopic examination of either thick or thin layers of haemoglobin, which takes time for disease prognosis. METHODS: The current research uses a neural network based on convolution to catalogue images of cells with and without malaria infection. This method improves the precision of classification for the datasets under study. The ReLu activation function used by this model enables it to learn more quickly and perform more effectively. RESULTS: The prediction of infected and healthy cells was done accurately by the proposed model, which uses only 3 layers of convolution, and this was the idea behind the implementation. The model achieved an improved accuracy of 99.77% across 12 iterations (epochs). CONCLUSION: The proposed model is straightforward and successful in differentiating between malaria-infected and uninfected cells.

THE EFFECT OF PANDAN WANGI ROOTS ETHANOL EXTRACT (Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.) ON THE DEGREE OF PLASMODIUM BERGHEI PARASITEMIA IN VIVO

Malaria is an disease caused by Plasmodium genus and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes via bites. The occurrence of antimalarial drug resistance in various places, such as Chloroquine and Artemisinin Combination Therapy, be a challenge for researchers to find new herbal and effective alternative antimalarial drugs. Pandan Wangi roots (Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.) contain compounds with antimalarial properties. This study aims to determine the effect of Pandan Wangi roots ethanol extract at doses of 1, 100, and 1,000 mg/kgBW (Body Weight on the degree of Plasmodium berghei parasitemia in vivo. This study employs an experimental in vivo method using the Post-Test Only Controlled Group Design. Sample of 24 mice were divided into one negative control group and three treatment groups. The data analysis technique employed is One Way ANOVA and Post Hoc Test. In this study, the mean degree of parasitemia in negative control group was 32.60%, treatment group with dose of 1 mg/kgBW was 22.27%, treatment group with dose of 100 mg/kgBW was 18.49%, and treatment group with dose of 1,000 mg/kgBW was 14.88%. The One Way ANOVA analysis resulted in p-value of 0.001, which is &lt; 0.05, indicating a significant difference in the average degree of parasitemia among the three treatment groups. Thus, the effect of Pandan Wangi roots ethanol extract has antimalarial activity. Administration dose of 1,000 mg/kgBW proved to be the most effective in suppressing the growth of Plasmodium berghei parasitemia.&#x0D; Keywords : Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb., Antimalarial, Plasmodium berghei, Degree of Parasitemia

The Malaria Burden: A South African Perspective.

Malaria is a deadly disease caused by protozoan pathogens of the Plasmodium parasite. Transmission to humans occurs through the bite of an infected female Anopheles mosquito. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 247 million cases of malaria were recorded worldwide in 2021, with approximately 619 000 malaria deaths. The initial signs of malaria can be mild and challenging to diagnose due to the signs and symptoms being similar to those of other illnesses. The malaria burden remains largely concentrated in the WHO sub-Saharan African region and has been recognised as a significant contributor to morbidity and mortality. This review aims to contribute to the existing knowledge on malaria in South Africa, a region within sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on the epidemiology and life cycle of the malaria parasite as well as diagnostic approaches for detecting malaria. In addition, nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions for treating and preventing malaria infections will also be discussed herein. While there has been a significant reduction in the global burden of this disease, malaria remains a public health issue in South Africa. As such, the implementation of effective preventative measures and strategies, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment regimens are crucial to reducing the malaria burden in South Africa.

Characterizing the seasonal abundance and reproductive activity of overwintering Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes.

In temperate regions of the United States, female Anopheles mosquitoes respond to low temperatures and short photoperiods by entering an overwintering dormancy or diapause. Diapause in Anopheles results in reduced frequency of blood-feeding and reproductive arrest, indicating a period when pathogen transmission by these mosquitoes is unlikely. However, it is unclear precisely how late into the fall and how early in the spring these mosquitoes are biting, reproducing, and potentially transmitting pathogens. This is further complicated by the lack of clear markers of diapause in Anopheles (e.g., changes in egg follicle length). Our goal was to characterize the seasonal reproductive activity of female Anopheles in central Ohio, United States and evaluate egg follicle length as an indicator of Anopheles diapause. We used traditional mosquito traps and aspirators to collect Anopheles from urban woodlots and culverts, respectively, from late September 2021 through mid-May 2022 in central Ohio. By measuring their egg follicle length, reproductive status, and blood-feeding status, we found that egg follicle length is not a reliable indicator of Anopheles diapause. We also found that a small proportion of An. punctipennis (Say), An. perplexens (Ludlow), and An. quadrimaculatus (Say) continued to bite and reproduce into early November 2021 and that females of these species terminated reproductive dormancy and began biting by mid-March 2022. This period of reproductive activity extends beyond current mosquito surveillance and control in Ohio. Our findings suggest that within temperate regions of North America, Anopheles have the capacity to transmit pathogens throughout the spring, summer, and fall.