Schistosomiasis
Key Personnel
Gerald M. Mkoji, BSc, MSc, PhD, Parasitologist, Chief Research Officer & Director, Centre for Biotechnology Research and Development; e-mail: gmkoji@kemri.org
Research Interests:
Human parasitic diseases particularly helminth infections, focusing on schistosomiasis and other snail-borne parasitic infections, strategies for schistosomiasis (bilharzia) control, water resources development projects and their potential impact on human health, medical malacology; ecology and control of freshwater snails of medical significance, molecular parasitology, genetic characterization of schistosomes and other parasitic organisms, molecular epidemiology of parasitic infections, phylogenetics and biogeography of Biomphalaria and other planorbid snails, development of molecular diagnostic tools for identification of schistosomes and their snail hosts, medical biotechnology and biosafety
Recent Publications:
1. Morgan JAT, DeJong RJ, Jung Y, Khallaayoune K, Kock S, Mkoji GM, Loker ES. 2002. A phylogeny of planorbid snails, with implications for the evolution of Schistosoma parasites. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 25: 477-488
2. Wanyonyi AW, Chhabra SC, Mkoji G, Eilert U, Njue WM. 2002. Bioactive steroidal alkaloid glycosides from Solanum aculeastrum. Phytochemistry 59:79-84
3. Morgan JAT, DeJong RJ, Lwambo NJS, Mungai BN, Mkoji GM, Loker ES. 2003. First report of a natural hybrid between Schistosoma mansoni and S. rodhaini. Journal of Parasitology 89: 416-418
4. Morgan JAT, DeJong RJ, Kazibwe F. Mkoji GM, Loker ES. 2003. A newly-identified lineage of Schistosoma. International Journal for Parasitology 33: 977-985
5. DeJong RJ, Morgan JAT, Wilson WD, Al-Jaser MH, Appleton CC, Coulibaly G, D’Andrea PS, Doenhoff MJ, Haas W, Idris MA, Magalhães LA, Moné H, Mouahid G, Mubila L, Pointier J-P, Webster JP, Zanotti-Magalhães EM, Paraense WL, Mkoji GM, Loker ES. 2003. Phylogeography of Biomphalaria glabrata and B. pfeifferi, important intermediate hosts of Schistosoma mansoni in the New and Old World tropics. Molecular Ecology 12: 3041-3056
6. Tonui WK, Mpoke SS, Orago AS, Turco SJ, Mbati PA, Mkoji GM. 2003. Leishmania donovani-derived lipophosphoglycan plus BCG induces a Th1 type immune response but does not protect Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) and BALB/c mice against Leishmania donovani. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research 70: 255-263
7. Wanyonyi AW, Chhabra SC, Mkoji G, Njue W, Tarus PK. 2003. Molluscicidal and antimicrobial activity of Solanum aculeastrum. Fitoterapia 74:298-301.
8. Tonui WK, Ngumbi P, Mpoke S, Orago AS, Mbati PA, Turco SJ, Mkoji GM. 2004. Leishmania major-Phlebotomus duboscqi interactions: inhibiton of anti-LPG antibodies and characterization of two proteins with shared epitopes. East African Medical Journal 81 (2): 97-103.
9. Loker ES and Mkoji GM. 2004. Schistosomes and their snail hosts, In: Schistosomiasis (edited by W. Evan Secor), pp1-12, Springer Verlag
10. Morgan JAT, DeJong RJ, Adeoye GO, Ansa ED, Barbosa CS, Brémond P, Cesari IM, Charbonnel N, Corrêa LR, Coulibaly G, D’Andrea PS, De Souza CP, Doenhoff MJ, File S, Idris MA, Incani RN, Jarne P, Karanja DM, Kazibwe F, Kpikpi J, Lwambo NJ, Mabaye A, Magalhães LA, Makundi A, Mone H, Mouahid G, Muchemi GM, Mungai BN, Séne M, Southgate V, Tchuente LA, Théron A, Yousif F, Zanotti-Magalhães EM, Mkoji GM, Loker ES. 2005. Origin and diversification of the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Molecular Ecology 14 (12): 3889-3902
11. Malone JB, McNally KL, McCarroll JC, Corbett JD, Mkoji G. 2004. Modeling the biocoenose of parasitic diseases using remote sensing and geographic information systems. Parassitologia46(1-2): 59-61
12. Lodge DM, Rosenthal SK, Mavuti KM, Muohi W, Ochieng P, Stevens SS, Mungai BN, Mkoji GM. 2005. Louisiana crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) (Crustacea: Cambaridae) in Kenyan ponds: non-target effects of a potential biological control agent for schistosomiasis. African Journal of Aquatic Science 30 (2): 119-124
13. Rosenthal SK, Lodge DM, Mavuti , KM, Muohi W, Ochieng P, Mungai BN, Mkoji GM.2005.Comparing macrophyte herbivory by introduced Louisiana crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) (Crustacea: Cambaridae) and native Dytiscid beetles (Cybister tripunctatus) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae), in Kenya. African Journal of Aquatic Science, Vol. 30 (2): 157-162.
14. Brant SV, Morgan JAT, Mkoji GM, Snyder SD, Jayanthe Rajapakse RPV, Loker ES. 2006. An approach to revealing blood fluke life cycles, taxonomy and diversity: Provision of key reference data including DNA sequence from single life cycle stages. Journal of Parasitology 92 (1): 77-88.
15. Mungai BN, Agola LE, Morgan JAT, DeJong RJ, Karanja DMS, Muchemi GM, Loker ES, Mkoji GM.2006. Schistosoma rodhaini in Kenya revisited. In: Proceedings of a Workshop on Biodiversity of African Freshwater Snails, September, 9-12, 2003.
16. Agola LE, Mburu DN, DeJong RJ, Mungai BN, Muluvi GM, Njagi ENM, Loker ES, Mkoji GM. 2006. Microsatellite typing reveals strong genetic structure of Schistosoma mansoni from localities in Kenya. Infection, Genetic and Evolution 6: 484- 490.
