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Assessing the effect of neglected tropical diseases on Plasmodium falciparum transmission in an area of co-endemicity

Applicant Professor Dr. Peter Gottfried Kremsner, since 12/2020
Subject Area Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens
Immunology
Term from 2015 to 2023
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 271597907
 
Final Report Year 2024

Final Report Abstract

Schistosoma and intestinal helminths, as well as microfilarial species are highly prevalent in Africa where they share the same geographical distribution with Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for malaria, and consequently affect the same population. The main objective of this project is to assess the effect of S. haematobium infection on malaria transmission, for this, persons from Gabon and Ghana with or without a worm infection were recruited and samples (blood and stool) taken. As well the vector of the malaria infection, the Anopheles mosquitos, were captured for the assessment of malaria transmission intensity in the study sites. In Gabon among the 328 participants, 258 (78.7%) were assessed for Schistosoma status at the end of the first follow-up phase and the results show that 103 (40%) were found infected. The positive persons were treated and the treatment as well as the reinfection were monitored. Our results reveal a rapid spread of the disease in the population mainly following intervention and therefore call for the full implementation of the World Health Organization’s recommendations in the area. At the entomological level, we have performed collection of mosquitoes using the Human Landing Catches (HLC). The result shows that Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto (98.5%) and An. coluzzii (1.5%) were the only species of the An. gambiae complex present in the collection. Of the 1166 Anopheles screened, 26 (2.2%) were infected with Plasmodium species, specifically Plasmodium falciparum (66.7%), P. malariae (15.4%), P. ovale curtisi (11.5%) and P. ovale wallikeri (3.8%). Our results demonstrate that malaria transmission intensity is heterogeneous. In conclusion, in this project we have established cohorts of individuals with and without schistosomiasis infestation in Ghana and Gabon to investigate the effect of S. haematobium infection on P. falciparum infection and transmission. The study was performed in three work packages to answer our research questions using parasitological, immunological hematologic and entomological parameters. We have produced three papers from this project and several other manuscripts are in development. We also offered support to build the capacity of young researchers in Africa through our collaborative research partnership within the project. Our findings and project-related publications may be relevant to primarily public health care and control of Schistosoma and Plasmodium infection. Our results indicated new insights and future research directions to tackle the two diseases.

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