New, Experimental Malaria Vaccine Shows Promise

Malaria is a potentially life-threatening disease with high mortality if left untreated. Researchers reveal that a new, experimental vaccine for malaria has shown fast and effective results against acute infection, protection against relapse, as well as, delay in resistance formation.

Nearly half of the world's population is at risk of malaria, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). In 2015, there were roughly 212 million malaria cases and an estimated 429,000 malaria deaths.

Malaria - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatment
Malaria is caused by a parasite that enters blood through the bite of an infected mosquito. It is characterized by fever, vomiting, shivering, sweating and other symptoms.

‘Nearly half of the world's population is at risk of malaria. A new, experimental vaccine for malaria has shown fast and effective results.’

Tweet it Now

Researchers from the University of Tubingen in Germany, tested the efficacy, tolerability and safety of a combination of the drugs Fosmidomycin and Piperaquine on 83 patients in the phase II clinical trials.

The two-fold medication was administered for three days to patients aged one to 30, who were infected with malaria via the Plasmodium falciparum pathogen.

In the 83 cases, there was a 100 per cent cure rate, said Peter Kremsner, Professor at the varsity.

About Mosquito Diseases
Mosquito-borne diseases, like malaria, filaria, dengue, etc are common in places conducive of mosquito breeding. Swamps, ponds and stagnated drainage provide optimal breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Patients tolerated the treatment well, and it led to a swift reduction of clinical symptoms.

"This study represents a milestone in the clinical research into Fosmidomycin," Kremsner said.

Malaria - Protection Strategies
Malaria is a dangerous disease with lethal consequences that requires protective measures for prevention and control of malaria in endemic regions of the world.

The antibiotic Fosmidomycin, is originally isolated from Streptomyces lavendulae -- a species of bacteria from the genus Streptomyces.

Streptomyces lavendulae blocks a metabolic pathway for the production of Isoprenoid -- naturally occurring organic chemicals -- in the malaria pathogen.

Malaria Waterborne - Causes Transmission Diseases Microscopic Examinations Serological Examinations
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general information about About Malaria Causes

This makes the malaria pathogen unable to metabolise or reproduce.

As Isoprenoids are formed via a different synthesis path in the human body, humans have no target structures for Fosmidomycin.

As a result, humans tolerate the drug well and suffer barely any side effects, the researchers said, in a paper published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

In addition, this unique mechanism excludes the possibility of cross-resistance to the drugs used in earlier malaria treatments.

The new combination also meets WHO guidelines for combination therapies.

The two drugs mechanisms against differing target structures means that they attack the parasite in the bloodstream independently of one another.

This meets WHO requirements for a fast and effective treatment of the acute phase of infection, and for protection against relapse due to reappearance of the infection.

Furthermore, the effective mechanism helps to delay the formation of a possible resistance, the researchers noted.

Source-IANS