Global Research in Mali

full-text ►Global Research in Mali: "Mali is a landlocked west African nation with a highly stratified climate: hot and arid in the north and wet and humid in the south. Malaria is one of the country’s principal causes of death and suffering and is responsible for more than 30 percent of all outpatient hospital visits, according to the World Health Organization. Food- and water-borne diseases, including Hepatitis A, typhoid fever, and schistosomiasis, are also prevalent, particularly near the Niger River.

NIAID-Funded Activities

NIAID has on-site staff in the capital city of Bamako, working in close association with the Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy, and Odonto-Stomatology (FMPOS) at the University of Bamako. NIAID scientists have been active in Mali since the late 1980s; in 2002, the FMPOS/University of Bamako was selected by NIAID as an International Center of Excellence in Research, with the mission of studying tropical and infectious diseases in endemic areas.

Milestones in NIAID collaborations with the FMPOS include the following:

* Establishment of the Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC) at the University of Bamako
* Development of clinical field sites to test candidate malaria vaccines and conduct studies on malaria and lymphatic filariasis
* Launch of the Centre de Recherche et Formation (SEREFO) project, which brings together physicians and researchers from Mali and the United States to study HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and to provide training for African scientists
* Establishment of the Mali Service Center, which provides administrative/financial infrastructure for NIAID and other NIH scientific collaborations at FMPOS and beyond

Scientific Advances
Scientists in Mali Find First Effective Treatment for Mansonella perstans Infection

A NIAID clinical trial conducted at the University of Bamako in Mali has shown the dramatic and lasting effect of doxycycline in treating infection with Mansonella perstans, a species of roundworm transmitted to humans by biting midges. This is the first effective treatment found for this neglected tropical disease, which is common in parts of Africa and Central and South America.

Read more about the randomized trial for doxycycline for M. perstans infection ► A Randomized Trial of Doxycycline for Mansonella perstans Infection — NEJM: "- Enviado mediante la barra Google"

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