Common enzyme deficiency may hinder plans to eradicate malaria
November 13, 2012 in Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
In malaria-endemic countries, 350 million people are predicted to be deficient in an enzyme that means they can suffer severe complications from taking primaquine, a key drug for treating relapsing malaria, according to a study funded by the Wellcome Trust and published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
This finding is important as primaquine is recommended in the global action plan to eliminate malaria and is the only drug to prevent malaria relapse. The benefits of implementing a treatment program with this drug need to be weighed against the potential harm to a substantial proportion of the population (up to 8%) who may have G6PD deficiency: a genetic defect reducing glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme activitiy. Individuals with G6PD deficiency who are given primaquine can experience a severe complication – the breakdown of their red blood cells (hemolysis).
The authors from Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom, led by Rosalind Howes from the University of Oxford, reached these conclusions by inputting information about the frequency of G6PD deficiency from community surveys into a geostatistical model. Using the model, the authors predicted that G6PD deficiency is widespread across malaria-endemic regions, with the lowest frequencies in North and South America and the highest frequency in tropical Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
Dr Howe explains: "Malaria control and elimination are a top priority on the global health agenda. Yet, a key drug to help achieve this goal remains too dangerous for widespread use. We have developed a map of this risk factor, G6PD deficiency, and find it to be very common across many malaria endemic regions. Much work remains to be done to fully understand this disease, notably its genetic diversity."
The authors found that the predicted frequency of G6PD deficiency varied considerably over relatively short distances in many areas but the overall frequency was 8% in malaria-endemic countries, corresponding to about 350 million affected individuals. In countries that are currently planning to implement malaria elimination programs, the frequency was 5.3%, corresponding to 100 million affected individuals.
When the authors took the severity of the G6PD deficiency (the more severe the deficiency, the higher the risk of hemolysis), they found that the greatest risk was across Asia, where severe G6PD variants are commonly inherited.
The authors say: The prominence of G6PD deficiency represents a barrier to current options for malaria elimination therapy."
They continue: "The complexity and diversity of both malaria epidemiology and G6PD deficiency mean that no single solution will be applicable for ensuring safe and effective primaquine treatment."
More information: Howes RE, Piel FB, Patil AP, Nyangiri OA, Gething PW, et al. (2012) G6PD Deficiency Prevalence and Estimates of Affected Populations in Malaria Endemic Countries: A Geostatistical Model-Based Map. PLoS Med 9(11): e1001339. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001339
Journal reference:
PLoS Medicine
Provided by
Public Library of Science
-
Zinc supplementation does not protect young African children against malaria
Nov 22, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Novel anti-malarial drug target identified
Jul 19, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Mutation in human gene helps protect against fatal malaria
Apr 21, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Malaria on way out in third of nations hit: study
Oct 17, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Most effective malaria drug regimens highlighted in study
Sep 09, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
FDA warns of infections tied to Tennessee pharmacy
(AP)—Government health officials are investigating several health problems reported with potentially contaminated medications made by a Tennessee specialty pharmacy.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
11 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Comorbidities common with alopecia areata
(HealthDay)—Comorbid conditions often accompany alopecia areata, according to a study published online May 22 in JAMA Dermatology.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
12 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Top-ranked golfer beats scoliosis
(HealthDay)—As a world-class golfer, Stacy Lewis' accomplishments are remarkable. But it was a physical challenge in her childhood that defined her ascent to the top of her sport.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
13 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Saudi to send animal samples to US in coronavirus probe (Update)
Saudi Arabia said Friday it would send samples taken from animals possibly infected with a deadly SARS-like virus to the United States for testing in a bid to find the source of disease.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
16 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
WHO voices deep concern over spread of SARS-like virus
The World Health Organization voiced deep concern Thursday over the SARS-like virus that has killed 22 people in less than a year, saying it might potentially spread more widely between humans.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
20 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
Engineered cytomegalovirus protects monkeys from HIV equivalent
(Medical Xpress)—A new study by researchers in the US has shown that an ancient virus can be modified to help in the fight against the simian immunodeficiency virus SIV, which is the equivalent in monkeys ...
Researchers identify first drug targets in childhood genetic tumor disorder
Two mutations central to the development of infantile myofibromatosis (IM)—a disorder characterized by multiple tumors involving the skin, bone, and soft tissue—may provide new therapeutic targets, according to researchers ...
Hormone levels may provide key to understanding psychological disorders in women
Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL.
Going live: Immune cell activation in multiple sclerosis
Biological processes are generally based on events at the molecular and cellular level. To understand what happens in the course of infections, diseases or normal bodily functions, scientists would need to ...
Help at hand for people with schizophrenia
How can healthy people who hear voices help schizophrenics? Finding the answer for this is at the centre of research conducted at the University of Bergen.
Alzheimer's disease, the soft target of the euthanasia debate
(Medical Xpress)—The way Alzheimer's disease is portrayed by advocacy groups and the media is having undue influence on the euthanasia debate, according to a Deakin University nursing ethics professor.