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Article
Open AccessRAIN: machine learning-based identification for HIV-1 bNAbs
Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are promising candidates for the treatment and prevention of HIV-1 infections. Despite their critical importance, automatic detection of HIV-1 bNAbs from immune repertoi...
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Article
Open AccessGene Coverage Count and Classification (GC3): a locus sequence coverage assessment tool using short-read whole genome sequencing data, and its application to identify and classify histidine-rich protein 2 and 3 deletions in Plasmodium falciparum
The ability of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to effectively detect active infections is being compromised by the presence of malaria strains with genomic deletions at the hrp2 and hrp3 loci, encoding the ...
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Article
Open AccessAnalysis of nucleic acids extracted from rapid diagnostic tests reveals a significant proportion of false positive test results associated with recent malaria treatment
Surveillance programmes often use malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) to determine the proportion of the population carrying parasites in their peripheral blood to assess the malaria transmission intensity. ...
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Article
Open AccessWhole-genome sequence-informed MALDI-TOF MS diagnostics reveal importance of Klebsiella oxytoca group in invasive infections: a retrospective clinical study
Klebsiella spp. are opportunistic pathogens which can cause severe infections, are often multi-drug resistant and are a common cause of hospital-acquired infections. Multiple new Klebsiella species have recently ...
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Article
Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of PfSPZ Vaccine against malaria in infants in western Kenya: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial
The radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite (PfSPZ) vaccine provides protection against P. falciparum infection in malaria-naïve adults. Preclinical studies show that T cell-mediated immunity is req...
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Open AccessIncidence of Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in 6-month to 45-year-olds on selected areas of Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
Extensive malaria control measures have been implemented on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea over the past 16 years, reducing parasite prevalence and malaria-related morbidity and mortality, but without achievi...
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Open AccessEarly whole blood transcriptional responses to radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite vaccination in malaria naïve and malaria pre-exposed adult volunteers
Vaccination with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium falciparum sporozoites is known to induce protective immunity. However, the mechanisms underlying this protection remain unclear. In this work, two recent radiatio...
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Article
Structural basis of malaria RIFIN binding by LILRB1-containing antibodies
Some Plasmodium falciparum repetitive interspersed families of polypeptides (RIFINs)—variant surface antigens that are expressed on infected erythrocytes1—bind to the inhibitory receptor LAIR1, and insertion of D...
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Article
Open AccessRole of human Pegivirus infections in whole Plasmodium falciparum sporozoite vaccination and controlled human malaria infection in African volunteers
Diverse vaccination outcomes and protection levels among different populations pose a serious challenge to the development of an effective malaria vaccine. Co-infections are among many factors associated with ...
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Article
Open AccessPerformance of a real-time PCR approach for diagnosing Schistosoma haematobium infections of different intensity in urine samples from Zanzibar
Efforts to control and eliminate schistosomiasis have accelerated over the past decade. As parasite burden, associated morbidity and egg excretion decrease, diagnosis with standard parasitological methods beco...
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Article
Open AccessMolecular malaria surveillance using a novel protocol for extraction and analysis of nucleic acids retained on used rapid diagnostic tests
The use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) as a source for nucleic acids that can be analyzed via nucleic acid amplification techniques has several advantages, including minimal amounts of blood, sample ...
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Article
Human unconventional T cells in Plasmodium falciparum infection
Malaria is an old scourge of humankind and has a large negative impact on the economic development of affected communities. Recent success in malaria control and reduction of mortality seems to have stalled em...
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Article
Open AccessA simple, rapid ty** method for Streptococcus agalactiae based on ribosomal subunit proteins by MALDI-TOF MS
Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS), is a frequent human colonizer and a leading cause of neonatal meningitis as well as an emerging pathogen in non-pregnant adults. GBS possesses a broad animal...
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Article
Open AccessA multiplex qPCR approach for detection of pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 gene deletions in multiple strain infections of Plasmodium falciparum
The rapid and accurate diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection is an essential factor in malaria control. Currently, malaria diagnosis in the field depends heavily on using rapid diagnostic tests (RD...
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Article
Open AccessSafety and tolerance of lymph node biopsies from chronic HIV-1 volunteers in rural Tanzania
HIV-1 rapidly establishes a persistent infection that can be contained under life-long antiretroviral therapy (ART) but not cured. One major viral reservoir is the peripheral lymph node (LN) follicles. Studyin...
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Open AccessConcentration and avidity of antibodies to different circumsporozoite epitopes correlate with RTS,S/AS01E malaria vaccine efficacy
RTS,S/AS01E has been tested in a phase 3 malaria vaccine study with partial efficacy in African children and infants. In a cohort of 1028 subjects from one low (Bagomoyo) and two high (Nanoro, Kintampo) malari...
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Open AccessTwo cases of long-lasting, sub-microscopic Plasmodium malariae infections in adults from coastal Tanzania
Malaria is endemic in Tanzania with majority of clinical cases caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Additionally, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale spp. are also present and clinical manifestations caused by t...
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Article
Open AccessMolecular monitoring of the diversity of human pathogenic malaria species in blood donations on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
Malaria can be transmitted by blood transfusion from human to human and it is responsible for the majority of transfusion-transmitted infectious diseases worldwide. In sub-Saharan Africa, it had been estimated...
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Article
Open AccessBaseline exposure, antibody subclass, and hepatitis B response differentially affect malaria protective immunity following RTS,S/AS01E vaccination in African children
The RTS,S/AS01E vaccine provides partial protection against malaria in African children, but immune responses have only been partially characterized and do not reliably predict protective efficacy. We aimed to...
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A public antibody lineage that potently inhibits malaria infection through dual binding to the circumsporozoite protein
Volunteers who develop protection against malaria produce potent antibodies binding to a site of vulnerability on the parasite circumsporozoite protein that is absent in vaccines currently being tested in humans