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Background: The serological tests using blood stage antigens might be helpful for detecting recent exposure to Plasmodium parasites, and seroepidemiological studies would aid in the elimination of malaria. This work produced recombinant proteins of PvMSP142 variants and evaluated their capacity to detect IgG antibodies in symptomatic patients from Mesoamerica. Methods: Three variant Pvmsp142 genes were cloned in the pHL-sec plasmid, expressed in the Expi293F™ eukaryotic system, and the recombinant proteins were purified by affinity chromatography. Using an ELISA, 174 plasma or eluted samples from patients infected with different P. vivax haplotypes were evaluated against PvMSP142 proteins and to a native blood stage antigen (NBSA). Results: The antibody IgG OD values toward PvMSP142 variants (v88, v21, and v274) were heterogeneous (n = 178; median = 0.84 IQR 0.28–1.64). The correlation of IgG levels among all proteins was very high (spearman's rho = 0.96–0.98; p < 0.0001), but was lower between them and the NBSA (rho = 0.771; p < 0.0001). In only a few samples, higher reactivity to the homologous protein was evident. Patients with a past infection who were seropositive had higher IgG levels and lower parasitemia levels than those who did not (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The PvMSP142 variants were similarly efficient in detecting specific IgG antibodies in P. vivax patients from Mesoamerica, regardless of the infecting parasite's haplotype, and might be good candidates for malaria surveillance and epidemiological studies in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In Mexico, combined chloroquine (CQ) and primaquine (PQ) treatment has been used since the late 1950s to treat Plasmodium vivax infections. Although malaria transmission has declined, current treatment strategies must be evaluated to advance towards malaria elimination., Methods: The clinical and parasitological outcome of treating symptomatic P. vivax with the 14-day (T14) treatment or intermittent single dose (ISD) regimen was evaluated in southern Mexico between February 2008 and September 2010. Patients over 12 months old with P. vivax mono-infection and asexual parasitaemia ≥500 parasites/µl were treated under supervision. After diagnosis (day 0), treatment began immediately. T14 patients received CQ for 3 days (10, 10 and 5 mg/kg) and PQ daily for 14 days (0.25 mg/kg), while ISD patients received a single dose of CQ (10 mg/kg) and PQ (0.75 mg/kg) on days 0, 30, 60, 180, 210, and 240. Follow-up was done by observing clinical and laboratory (by microscopy, serology and PCR) outcome, considering two endpoints: primary blood infection clearance and clinical response at ~28 days, and the incidence of recurrent blood infection during 12 months. Parasite genotypes of primary/recurrent blood infections were analysed., Results: During the first 28 days, no differences in parasite clearance or clinical outcome were observed between T14 (86 patients) and ISD (67 patients). On day 3, 95 % of patients in both groups showed no blood parasites, and no recurrences were detected on days 7-28. Contrarily, the therapeutic effectiveness (absence of recurrent parasitaemia) was distinct for T14 versus ISD at 12 months: 83.7 versus 50 %, respectively (p = 0.000). Symptomatic and asymptomatic infections were recorded on days 31-352. Some parasite recurrences were detected by PCR and/or serological testing., Conclusions: T14 was effective for opportune elimination of the primary blood infection and preventing relapse episodes. The first single dose of CQ-PQ eliminated primary blood infection as efficiently as the initial three-dose scheme of T14, but the ISD regimen should be abandoned. A single combined dose administered to symptomatic patients in remote areas while awaiting parasitological diagnosis may contribute to halting P. vivax transmission. Alternatives for meeting the challenge of T14 supervision are discussed., Trial Registration: NIH-USA, ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier: NCT02394197.

Background: In southern Mexico, malaria transmission is low, seasonal, and persistent. Because many patients are affected by two or more malaria episodes caused by Plasmodium vivax, we carried out a study to determine the timing, frequency, and genetic identity of recurrent malaria episodes in the region between 1998 and 2008., Methods: Symptomatic patients with more than one P. vivax infection were followed up, and blood samples were collected from primary and recurrent infections. DNA extracted from infected blood samples was analyzed for restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in genes encoding csp and msp3α, as well as size variation in seven microsatellites., Results: One hundred and forty six parasite samples were collected from 70 patients; of these, 65 patients had one recurrent infection, four had two, and one had three recurrent infections. The majority of recurrent infections occurred within one year of the primary infection, some of which were genetically homologous to the primary infection. As the genetic diversity in the background population was high, the probability of homologous re-infection was low and the homologous recurrences likely reflected relapses. These homologous recurrent infections generally had short (< 6 months) or long (6-12 months) intervals between the primary (PI) and recurrent (RI) infections; whereas infections containing heterologous genotypes had relatively longer intervals. The epidemiological data indicate that heterologous recurrences could be either relapse or re-infections., Conclusions: Genetic and temporal analysis of P. vivax recurrence patterns in southern Mexico indicated that relapses play an important role in initiating malaria transmission each season. The manifestation of these infections during the active transmission season allowed the propagation of diverse hypnozoite genotypes. Both short- and long-interval relapses have contributed to parasite persistence and must be considered as targets of treatment for malaria elimination programs in the region to be successful.