application): The purpose of the training described in this proposal is to make optimal use of the possibility to conduct comparative studies between malaria developed by humans in natural conditions and anemia induced by experimental malaria infection in monkeys. Aotus monkeys represent a very valuable model to study the physio-pathogenesis of anemia, particularly when it is associated to vaccination. Previous studies conducted by our group and by others, indicate that severe anemia develops in Aotus monkeys during the course of pre-clinical malaria vaccine trials. Our TMRC program will include the study of human communities naturally exposed to both P. falciparum and P. vivax transmission. We plan to approach a lack of information concerning the prevalence of anemia in those communities, the factors associated to its production such as those related to nutrition and to genetic features (i.e. Hemoglobinopathies). We propose to carry out training activities that cover from long term training of Colombian and Latin American graduate and post-doc students to short term seminars, workshops and summer courses for basic - scientists, clinicians and health workers. Clinical rotations will be offered to clinicians from malaria endemic areas in order to improve their skills in diagnosis and management of severe malaria, particularly severe anemia. Furthermore, we plan to establish a Web Site for Anemia. One of the most cost-effective activities in this training program, may be the workshops planned to be organized jointly with the Ministries of Health and PAHO. These workshops will approach the most relevant issues selected by the RollBack Malaria program. The training sites and facilities include those of the TMRC program that comprises: a) A field-site with clinical and research laboratories, insectaries and a second level hospital. b) A set of laboratories for molecular biology, immunology, protein chemistry, and parasite in vitro cultures. c) A primate center with both Aotus and Saimiri monkeys. d) Two third-level hospitals located in Cali. All these facilities and the activities developed in them will be coordinated by the Administrative and Visiting Scientist Cores of the TMRC. The teaching staff involves immunologists, hematologists, epidemiologist, statisticians, infectious diseases - specialists, pediatricians and pathologists. We will combine expertise of well-known scientists from Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and the USA. A number of collaborating scientists and institutions from Colombia and other malaria endemic countries of Latin America, have been contacted and will provide trainee candidates. Trainee candidates will be selected on a competitive basis and an evaluation of outcome is proposed at the end of each yearly period, during the Training Advisory Group (TAG) meeting. These activities will profit from a long tradition of international training developed at the School of Health of Universidad del Valle, in Cali.
| Caicedo, Olga; Villamor, Eduardo; Forero, Yibby et al. (2010) Relation between vitamin B12 and folate status, and hemoglobin concentration and parasitemia during acute malaria infections in Colombia. Acta Trop 114:17-21 |
| Zamora, Felipe; Ramirez, Oscar; Vergara, Juana et al. (2005) Hemoglobin levels related to days of illness, race, and Plasmodium species in Colombian patients with uncomplicated malaria. Am J Trop Med Hyg 73:50-4 |
