Associate Professor
Innocent Ali
Project Title
Plasmodium vivax burden, range and transmission among Duffy-negative inhabitants in Cameroon (VIBRANT)
Project Objectives
AIM 1: To determine the serological profile of the different malaria parasite species in Cameroon, and particularly the exposure and prevalence of P.v infection in different malaria transmission sites in Cameroon, through a cross-sectional health facility-based survey of febrile patients suspected for malaria infection. AIM 2: To develop scientific and research management capacity through acquisition of an interdisciplinary skill-set and technology transfer and promote career progression.
Host Organisation
| Department | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| University of Dschang | CM |
EDCTP Project
TMA2020CDF-3171
EDCTP Program
EDCTP2
EDCTP Project Call
Career Development Fellowship (CDF)
Study Design
multi-centre observational study
Project Summary
Although Plasmodium vivax, one of the malaria causing species has the widest geographical distribution, it is restricted in sub-Saharan Africa due to the absence of a red blood cell receptor (Duffy antigen) in black Africans. Plasmodium vivax has however, been observed as single infection in up to 5% of Duffy-negative febrile patients in Dschang, West region of Cameroon. While important, the significance is limited from an epidemiological point of view, concerning the source, transmission, distribution range of P.v. There is thus a challenge in the true estimation of malaria burden, as well as the attributable parasite species in infections occurring in most of Cameroon. As a consequence, our understanding of the local epidemiology of malaria in Cameroon warrants formal investigation. The VIBRANT (Vivax Burden, Range ANd Transmission) study proposes to 1/ map the seroprevalence and distribution range of Plasmodium vivax among febrile patients in the different geo-ecological regions of Cameroon; 2/ characterise the main Plasmodium vivax vectors in identified hotspots and define their role in the transmission of malaria in Duffy negative populations in Cameroon. Through cross-sectional hospital surveys, the study will identify and geo-reference P. vivax exposure, using an innovative multiplex serology technology, in finger stick dried blood spots from febrile children and adults suspected for malaria. Based on the findings, an entomological survey will be conducted in catchment areas of identified hotspots. Mosquitoes will be identified, the salivary gland infectivity determined as well as the vector abundance/dominance and anthropophily using molecular and serological methods. Results will be disseminated via open access via publications via preprints and through engagement with the national malaria control program, university graduates and patient communities. This application includes 1/ long-term support for one postdoctoral fellow (applicant); ; 2/ four months advanced training/skills transfer in newly developed and innovative quantitative suspension array assays based on Lumina technology (Host institution: Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Spain); 3/ research management/mentorship (1 Female MSc and 1 male PhD trainees) and public engagement skills. Through collaboration with the host institution, the applicant will leverage resources to develop competencies that will support transition towards an independent investigator in an emerging area of research with global development interest in sub-Saharan Africa. The research proposed will provide the first evidence base for strategic disease-control planning, particularly for establishing the true Plasmodium species diagnosis and monitoring toward malaria elimination.
Current Organisation
University of Dschang
Current Job Title
Associate Professor, Group Leader
Biography
Publications
: Exposure of infants to antiretroviral drugs for prevention of mother-to-child transmission can induce resistance to nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Data from nine national surveys of pretreatment drug resistance in children newly diagnosed with HIV show high levels of resistance to NRTIs included in first-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) regimens (dual abacavir-lamivudine/emtricitabine resistance). Additional research is needed to determine the impact of NRTI resistance on treatment response and optimize infant ART.