Lagos

Incidence of malaria and anaemia are of public health importance especially in pregnant women in endemic regions, due to the negative health consequences to the mother and fetus. This study aimed to assess the pattern of falciparum malaria infection and anaemia, based on malaria prevention methods practiced by participants.

Malnutrition is appreciated as a global leading paediatric burden that indirectly or directly contributes to child mortality. In children, malnutrition has profound effects on health and development; and has been associated with poor outcomes in paediatric diseases. However, it is not clear if malnourished children are at an increased risk of having malaria. This study was conducted to evaluate the risk of malaria infection in children with malnutrition.

Vaccines are the most reliable alternative to elicit sterile immunity against malaria but their development has been hindered by polymorphisms and strain-specificity in previously studied antigens. New vaccine candidates are therefore urgently needed. Highly conserved Plasmodium falciparum reticulocyte-binding protein homologue-5 (PfRH5) has been identified as a potential candidate for anti-disease vaccine development. PfRH5 is essential for erythrocyte invasion by merozoites and crucial for parasite survival. However, there is paucity of data on the extent of genetic variations on PfRH5 in field isolates of Plasmodium falciparum. This study described genetic polymorphisms at the high affinity binding polypeptides (HABPs) 36718, 36727, 36728 of PfRH5 in Nigerian isolates of P. falciparum. This study tested the hypothesis that only specific conserved B and T cell epitopes on PfRH5 HABPs are crucial for vaccine development.