Disease relevance of Vanuatu

• G6PD deficiency is of clinical importance in Vanuatu because it is a cause of neonatal jaundice and is responsible for numerous episodes of drug-induced acute hemolytic anemia [1].
• Chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Vanuatu [2].

High impact information on Vanuatu

• High frequencies of CYP2C19 mutations and poor metabolism of proguanil in Vanuatu [3].
• Three cases of Hp Johnson were found in Vanuatu, and further restriction mapping supported a partial gene triplication model for the structure of this variant [4].
• To study this, 95 subjects with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum or Plasmodium vivax infections in Vanuatu received proguanil treatment for 3 days (adult relative dose of 300-500 mg/day) and were followed up for 28 days [5].
• We have studied MSP1 and MSP2 diversity in parasites collected from subjects with both symptomatic (n = 86) and asymptomatic (34) malaria living on the island of Santo, Vanuatu, an area of stable malaria transmission [6].
• Reduced soluble transferrin receptor concentrations in acute malaria in Vanuatu [7].

Biological context of Vanuatu

• Comparisons of genetic, linguistic and geographical patterns among populations suggest that short range gene flow is largely responsible for the current distribution of CYP2C19 alleles in Vanuatu [8].
• We have recently reported an unprecedentedly high prevalence (71%) of CYP2C19-related poor metabolizer genotype individuals and poor metabolism of proguanil on two malarious islands of Vanuatu in eastern Melanesia [8].
• We feel the increase in the number of reactions in Vanuatu since starting MDT is probably due to the high starting dose of 100 mg of dapsone, possibly enhanced by the combination with clofazimine and rifampicin and a genetic susceptibility of the Melanesian population [9].
• Population, public health and tubal ligation in Vanuatu [10].

Associations of Vanuatu with chemical compounds

• Cases of malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum resistant to chloroquine treatment have been probably occurring in Vanuatu for many years [2].
• New jaspamide derivatives from the marine sponge Jaspis splendans collected in Vanuatu [11].
• A reinvestigation of the thiazole constituents from Cacospongia mycofijiensis, collected in Vanuatu, yielded known mycothiazole (3) plus a new derivative, mycothiazole-4,19-diol (6) [12].
• We analysed the malaria situation on different islands of Vanuatu, using passive case detection and malariometric survey data from 1985 to 1992, i.e. after the DDT residual programme ceased and before the impregnated bed-nets programme started on a larger scale [13].
• Dapsone syndrome in Vanuatu: a high incidence during multidrug treatment (MDT) of leprosy [9].

Gene context of Vanuatu

• Multiple glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase-deficient variants correlate with malaria endemicity in the Vanuatu archipelago (southwestern Pacific) [1].
• These clones have been compared with 25 PfEMP-1 sequences expressed from different var gene loci by the 3D7A clone and 48 PfEMP-1 sequences from different isolates in endemic areas such as Kenya, Brazil, Gambia, Vietnam and Vanuatu to analyse diversity in clonal, local and 'global' P. falciparum populations [14].
• Two hundred and eighty-six of 385 (74.2%) sera from Kiribati, 17 of 138 (12.3%) sera from Vanuatu, and 39 of 173 (22.5%) sera from Zaire were reactive in the initial screening assay [15].
• Associations between frequencies of a susceptible TNF-alpha promoter allele and protective alpha-thalassaemias and malaria parasite incidence in Vanuatu [16].
• A randomized comparison of low-dose ketamine and lignocaine infiltration with ketamine-diazepam anaesthesia for post partum tubal ligation in Vanuatu [17].

References