Bay Biosciences provides high-quality, fresh frozen, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC’s), with matched fresh frozen sera (serum), plasma, bio-fluids from patients diagnosed with malaria.
The sera (serum), plasma and PBMC bio-fluid specimens are processed from malaria patient’s peripheral whole-blood using customized collection and processing protocols.
Malaria Overview
Malaria is a life threatening mosquito-borne blood disease. Symptoms include fever, chills, and headaches. Treatment generally involves antimalarial medications.
Five types of Plasmodium can cause malaria in humans. Once an Anopheles mosquito with the infection bites a human, the parasites multiply in the host’s liver before causing infection and destroying red blood cells. Early symptoms include a fever, and over time, it can affect the internal organs, leading to death.
In some places, early diagnosis can help treat and control malaria. However, many countries lack the resources to carry out effective screening. In 2020, there were around 241 million cases globally and 627,000 deaths due to the disease.
Malaria is now rare in the United States, but there are around 2,000 diagnoses each year, mostly among people returning from areas where it is common. However, the authors of a 2021 study note that climate change could cause cases to rise again in the country.
In 2021, the first vaccine against malaria, called RTS,S (Mosquirix), received approval from the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source. However, it is not for use by travelers and is only available forTrusted Source children living in certain parts of Africa. For travelers, pills are availableTrusted Source to help prevent infection.
Causes of Malaria
A person can develop malaria if they receive a bite from an infected mosquito. To cause an infection in a person, the insect must carry a parasite known as Plasmodium. There are many types of this parasite, but only five can cause malaria in humans. Moreover, only a bite from a female Anopheles mosquito can transmit malaria to humans.
When the mosquito bites a person, the parasite enters the blood. It moves to the liver and begins multiplying.
The liver releases new malaria parasites back into the bloodstream, where they cause infections of red blood cells and multiply further. Some malaria parasites remain in the liver and do not circulate until later, resulting in recurrence.
As the parasites multiply, symptoms start to appear, usually 7–30 days after infection, depending on the type of Plasmodium. If a person has an infection after taking antimalarial drugs, symptoms may take longer to appear, sometimes weeks or months.
An unaffected mosquito could also acquire parasites when it feeds on blood containing them, which restarts the cycle.
Signs and Symptoms of Malaria
Malaria is a disease that typically features a fever, chills, and headaches. It can progress to cause severe or life threatening complications.
How it affects people can vary widely. Some people have mild or no symptoms, but others can become severely ill.
Doctors divide malaria symptoms into two categories: uncomplicated or severe malaria.
Uncomplicated Malaria
Uncomplicated malaria refers to when a person has symptoms but no sign of severe infection or dysfunction of the vital organs. However, without treatment, or if a person has low immunity, it can progress to severe malaria.
Symptoms can resemble those of flu and can typically last 6–10 hours and recur every second day. However, some strains of the parasite can have a longer cycle or cause mixed symptoms.
Overall symptoms include:
- A general feeling of being unwell
- An enlarged liver
- Body aches
- Fever and chills
- Headaches
- Mild jaundice, which can cause the eyes to appear yellow
- Nausea and vomiting
- Sweating
- A higher breathing rate
- Weakness
In areas where malaria is uncommon, a doctor may diagnose Flu instead of malaria. If a person has recently visited an area where the disease is present and develops these symptoms, they should discuss their visit with their doctor.
Fever Cycle
The classic fever cycle of malaria usually lasts 6–10 hours and recurs every second day.
It involves:
- A sweating stage
- Chills and shivering
- Fever, headaches, and vomiting, possibly with seizures in young children
- A return to usual temperatures that accompanies fatigue
However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that this is rare. With some types of Plasmodium, attacks may occur every third day.
Severe Malaria
In some cases, malaria can progress and affect vital body organs. At this point, malaria parasites have affected over 5% of the red blood cells.
Symptoms include:
- Severe anemia
- Blood in the urine
- Changes in blood clotting
- Impaired consciousness
- Coma
- Changes in behavior
- High acidity in the blood and body fluids
- Seizures
Severe malaria is a life threatening medical emergency.
Complications
Possible complications of malaria include the following:
- Acute respiratory disease syndrome, which affects breathing
- Dehydration
- Kidney failure
- Liver failure, which can lead to jaundice
- Pulmonary edema, where fluid builds up on the lungs
- Swelling and rupturing of the spleen
- Shock, which includes a sudden fall in blood pressure
- Pulmonary Edema, where fluid builds up on the lungs
- Unusually low blood glucose
Malaria Relapses
With some types of Plasmodium, malaria can disappear but return months or years later. This occurs because the parasites have dormant stages, during which there is no disease activity. However, symptoms can occur if they reactivate.
Treatment, which a person should undergo after their first episode, is available and can help prevent relapses.
Diagnosis of Malaria
Early diagnosis is critical for recovery from malaria. People can acquire an infection even after taking antimalarial drugs. In this case, symptoms can show up to a year after infection.
Anyone with symptoms that may indicate malaria should speak with a doctor as soon as possible. They should tell the healthcare professional if they have been in an area where malaria has been present in the past 12 months.
A doctor will ask the person about their symptoms and travel history. If they suspect malaria, they will order some blood tests.
These include:
- A complete blood count to test for anemia
- Rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) for parasites, which can provide results in 2–15 minutes
- Microscopic examination of blood cells
RDT tests are available as a kit but only through laboratories.
Treatment of Malaria
With early treatment, most people with malaria will make a full recovery.
Treatment for individuals with the disease includes:
- Medication to eliminate the parasite from the bloodstream
- Supportive care
- Hospitalization for those with severe symptoms
- Intensive care, in some cases
The main antimalarial drugs are:
- Artemisinin-based therapy
- Atovaquone-proguanil
- Chloroquine
- Hydroxychloroquine
- Primaquine
The treatment period usually lasts 2 days.
However, the type of medication and length of treatment may vary, depending on:
- How severe the symptoms are
- If they took antimalarial drugs before
- The type of Plasmodium that caused malaria
- If the person is pregnant
- Where the person caught malaria
Additionally, people who develop complications may need a combination of medications.
Prevention of Malaria
Strategies for preventing malaria include:
- Administering the vaccine to children who live in places where malaria is endemic
- Being aware of the risk
- Preventing mosquito bites, for example, by using insect repellant and covering the arms and legs
- Taking antimalarial tablets when traveling to an area where malaria occurs
- Getting a prompt diagnosis and treatment if someone thinks they may have the disease
Antimalarial drugs are around 90% effective in preventing malaria. If a person uses these drugs, they should still take measures to prevent bites when spending time in an area where the disease is likely.
Anyone planning to travel to an area where malaria is common should enquire about malaria tablets in good time. In most cases, people need to start taking the drugs several more days before traveling. They may also need to take tests before using some drugs, and it can take time to organize these screenings.
Vaccination
A vaccine is now available for preventing malaria, but it is not for use by travelers. It has approval for children who live in moderate-to-high risk areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, where infection with Plasmodium falconium is common. So far, health experts have administered over 2.3 million doses, and it has a good safety profile.
While the vaccine will save lives, it is not 100% effective.
Currently, in children under the age of 5 years, it:
- Offers 30% protection from severe malaria after four doses
- Can reduce the risk of an episode by 40%
- Will likely save one life among every 200 children vaccinated
Where is Maria Most Common?
Malaria is not endemic to the U.S., but it affects people in 87 countries around the world, especially in:
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Southeast Asia
- South America
In these areas, factors that increase the risk of the disease being present and easily transmissible include:
- A warm climate
- Altitude, as the risk may be lower at high altitude
- Health education and access to methods of prevention and treatment
- Open water, such as swampy land, open ditches, unused swimming pools, and leaky water pipes
- Travel between countries or between cities and rural areas
- Urban agriculture
- The type of Plasmodium present in local mosquitoes
- Urbanization and a high population density
The CDC provides a list of countries and the risk of malaria, alongside advice on which tablets to take when traveling.
The following people may have a higher risk of the disease, as their immunity is likely to be lower:
- Those who are pregnant, especially for the first or second time
- Young children
- Those who come from an area where malaria is uncommon
The CDC advises travelers to:
- Be aware of the symptoms of malaria
- Check the risk for the exact location, season, styles of travel, and health status of each traveler
- Find out what the overall risk of malaria is in the area they are visiting
- Seek advice on the best medication to use to prevent infection in that region
- Be aware that blood donation may not be permissible after traveling to a place where malaria is common
- Request antimalarial drugs in advance to allow time for any testing and pretravel doses
While away, travelers can reduce the risk of mosquito bites by:
- Not camping by stagnant water
- Living in air-conditioned accommodation
- Using insect repellant, pretreated bed nets, and other products
- Wearing clothes that cover the body at times when mosquitoes are most likely to be around
Symptoms of malaria can appear up to a year after leaving an area where malaria is endemic. Anyone who develops a fever, chills, or other symptoms after traveling should seek medical advice.
Outlook
Malaria is a serious disease that can be life threatening without treatment. However, with treatment, most people make a full recovery.
Without treatment, symptoms may last from 2 to 24 weeks, depending on the type of Plasmodium. After they disappear, a relapse may occur from months up to 20 years later, depending on the type of infection.
Without treatment, a person may be at risk of developing cerebral malaria, severe malarial anemia, or nephrotic syndrome. These are potentially fatal complications.
Summary
Malaria is a life threatening disease that can occur if a person has a mosquito bite that carries certain types of Plasmodium parasites.
The symptoms include a fever and chills, which may disappear after a few days but can reappear several weeks or months later. Eventually, malaria can affect vital body organs.
Anyone planning to spend time in an area where malaria is common should ask for advice on antimalarial drugs and other strategies for reducing the risk of the disease. If the person develops symptoms up to a year after traveling in an affected area, they need to consult their doctor, who will likely test for malaria.
Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.
Samples available include cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.
Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors available in all formats and types.
Our biobank procures and stores fully consented, deidentified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples and matched controls.
All our human tissue collections, human specimens and human bio-fluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.
This critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.
Patient’s data is extremely valuable for researchers and is used to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases.
Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and biological samples, including cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.
Including fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as serum, plasma and PBMC.
Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.
Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.
Types of Biospecimens
Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:
- Peripheral whole-blood
- Amniotic fluid
- Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL)
- Sputum
- Pleural effusion
- Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
- Serum (sera)
- Plasma
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC)
- Saliva
- Buffy coat
- Urine
- Stool samples
- Aqueous humor
- Vitreous humor
- Kidney stones (renal calculi)
- Other bodily fluids from most diseases including cancer.
We can also procure most human bio-specimens, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.
In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human plasma, serum, and PBMC bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.
Bay Biosciences also provides human samples from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, contact us Now.
- 日本のお客様は、ベイバイオサイエンスジャパンBay Biosciences Japanまたはhttp://baybiosciences-jp.com/contact/までご連絡ください。