Comparative systems biology of experimental malaria in non-human primates

Malaria is described as an infectious-parasitic blood disease, endemic to tropical and subtropical areas, caused mainly by protozoa of the species Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, transmitted by female mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles during meals, of which 7 species are pathogenic agents. causing malaria and 4 species are efficient in causing infection exclusively in humans, these being Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malarie. Malaria is globally distributed, constituting one of the main public health problems in the world. According to the WHO, 229 million new cases and 409,000 deaths related to complications were reported in 2019. In Brazil, 2 species are shown to be the main pathogenic agents, they are Plasmodium vivax, responsible for most cases mainly in the northern region of the country, and Plasmodium falciparum, responsible for the records of more serious cases. Malaria infection developed in non-human primates is also observed in a very analogous way to the infection in humans, but caused by the species P. coatneyi and P. cynomolgi, demonstrating great importance mainly for carrying out experimental research on the infection and the parasite-host relationship. Systems biology is an emerging area developed after the great technical and conceptual advances, after the genomic era, and which has been gaining strength, proving to be quite efficient for the development of comparative research and with a large volume of data to be analyzed, thus allowing studies with wide qualitative and quantitative extension through computational tools such as python, R and pearl programming languages, online tools and aid of statistical methods.

Project details

Information Systems

Apr 2021

Brazil