Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine

Prevalence and correlates of suicidal behavior among adults with chronic health conditions in Malawi

Over 70% of completed suicides occur in low- and middle-income countries. However, limited information is available on suicidal behavior encompassing ideation, plans, and attempts among high-risk populations in these settings. We investigated the prevalence and correlates of suic...

A multiregional serosurvey of RNA virus-reactive antibodies in bats and rodents reveals the enzootic presence of flavi- and paramyxoviruses in African Pteropodidae

Bats and rodents have been identified as reservoir hosts of diverse RNA viruses that pose potential risks to humans. However, overall virus prevalence in wildlife and underlying factors determining the zoonotic potential of reservoir-borne viruses remain poorly characterized. Vir...

Heat Perceptions, Behaviors, and Barriers of Unhoused Individuals in Germany

ABSTRACT Heat waves pose critical health risks for unhoused people. However, little is known about how this population perceives and copes with heat, particularly in Europe. Employing a sequential mixed‐methods approach, we investigated dimensions of unhoused individuals’ heat pe...

Gut resilience and clinical homeostasis following administration of neomycin and albendazole in soil-transmitted helminth-infected adults living in Lambaréné, Gabon

Abstract Purpose Gut resilience and systemic homeostasis are interrelated dynamic functions. A gut that fails to regulate intestinal barrier integrity, metabolite production, and immune regulation will lead to systemic pathogenic invasion and susceptibility to infections. Gut res...

PfATG18 links V-ATPase assembly to endocytic membrane dynamics in malaria parasites

Malaria parasites replicate inside red blood cells, degrading hemoglobin within a specialized digestive vacuole. Efficient hemoglobin processing is essential for parasite survival and influences antimalarial drug susceptibility. The vacuole constantly fuses with incoming hemoglob...

A multi-site loiasis dataset of whole blood videos

Loiasis is a blood-borne filarial infection under consideration for inclusion in the WHO’s priority list of Neglected Tropical Diseases. In addition to its direct impact on human health, loiasis frequently occurs as a co-infection with other filarial diseases, including onchocerc...

A systematic review of ultrasound to predict severe disease in patients with dengue and other viral infections associated with hemorrhagic fevers

Background Viral infections associated with hemorrhagic fevers (VaHFs) cause millions of cases each year across a broad geography with severity ranging from asymptomatic cases to clinical disease with a high case fatality rate. Commonalities in pathophysiology across VaHFs includ...

Strategies to Promote HIV Self-Testing and Long-Acting Injectable PrEP Among Ghanaian Youth: Results from the Y-FIT GH National Crowdsourcing Open Call

Abstract Crowdsourcing is a participatory problem-solving approach that engages a large and diverse group of individuals to generate ideas or solutions. In HIV prevention, it provides a structured mechanism for involving youth in shaping intervention strategies. The Innovative To...

Building a One Health mobile laboratory workforce: strengthening public health preparedness across Europe and Africa

Abstract The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases remain a major public health threat in Europe. The Horizon Europe-funded MOBILISE project addresses this challenge by establishing a One Health Mobile Laboratory capable of handling risk group 3 and 4 pathogens, while...

Molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacter cloacae complex in obstetric and neonatal units in Tanga, Tanzania

Abstract Background Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) poses a significant threat to neonatal healthcare, particularly in resource-limited settings. This study aimed at characterizing the molecular epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance of ESBL-producing ECC isolates collected...

The single cell transcriptional signature of sexual commitment in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

<ns5:p> Background Malaria remains a global health challenge, with most fatal cases caused by <ns5:italic>Plasmodium falciparum</ns5:italic> in sub-Saharan Africa. A critical bottleneck in the <ns5:italic>Plasmodium</ns5:italic> life cycle is the transmission from human to mosqui...

Characterising recent antimalarial resistance in West Africa: Insights from amplicon sequencing of 17,384 Plasmodium falciparum infection samples

<ns5:p> Background <ns5:italic>Plasmodium falciparum</ns5:italic> ( <ns5:italic>P. falciparum</ns5:italic> ) infection remains a significant public health threat in West Africa, where chemoprevention and first-line therapies are key interventions against malaria. However, the dev...

The Plasmodium heme detoxification protein functions in mitochondrial protein synthesis

Abstract Malaria blood-stage parasites digest ~80% of host cell hemoglobin within a degradative vacuole, releasing heme that is detoxified by sequestration into hemozoin crystals. Although essential for survival and a validated drug target, the mechanisms of heme biomineralizatio...

Not all West Nile virus lineages behave alike: dose-response differences between lineages 1 and 2

Abstract The globally distributed arbovirus West Nile virus (WNV) is expanding across Europe, with rising numbers of human cases and an increasingly broad geographic distribution. Transmitted primarily by Culex mosquitoes, WNV lineages 1 and 2 are pathogenic to humans, yet their...