Malaria is a potentially lethal illness that is transmitted through the bite of mosquitoes and is caused by a parasitic organism. Individuals who are pregnant, small children, and the elderly are considered to be especially susceptible to the condition. The presently accessible antimalarial medications are associated with adverse effects and substantial expenses, particularly in regions with little financial resources. Medicinal plants present a viable option owing to their reduced incidence of adverse effects, decreased financial burden, and convenient availability. Nevertheless, the existing body of research pertaining to the utilization of medicinal plants for the treatment of malaria is somewhat restricted. The objective of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic and antiplasmodial characteristics of various medicinal plants found in Kakamega County, located in Western Kenya. In vitro studies were conducted using organic and aqueous extracts derived from the plants. The extracts were used to assess both chloroquine-sensitive (3D7) and chloroquine-resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Additionally, an evaluation was conducted to determine the safety and cytotoxicity of the plant extracts. The plant extracts obtained from dichloromethane exhibited the lowest yield, whereas the water extracts yielded the highest proportion. Plants belonging to the Leguminosae family, namely Senna didmobotrya and Senna occidentalis, exhibited the most substantial productivity when subjected to water and methanol solvents. Several plant extracts shown significant antiplasmodial action against both the chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of the malaria parasite. A number of extracts had a moderate level of antiplasmodial action, but a small subset exhibited poor or negligible activity. Of the three examined extract types (water, methanol, and dichloromethane), it was shown that the methanol extracts exhibited the greatest prevalence of plants with significant antiplasmodial activity against the chloroquine-sensitive strain. The majority of the methanol extracts exhibited moderate action against both strains, although a minority shown low or no activity. The extracts of dichloromethane also exhibited a variety of antiplasmodial properties. In general, the study unveiled the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants found in Kakamega County, located in Western Kenya, for the treatment of malaria. The efficacy of these plants in inhibiting the growth of both chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of the malaria parasite was demonstrated. The results of this study offer significant insights for stakeholders who are interested in investigating the potential of herbal remedies as an alternate strategy for the treatment of malaria.

Background Reverse Transcriptase (RT) enzymes have been extensively utilized, especially in Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Many viruses that cause infections worldwide contain ribonucleic acid (RNA), and for their molecular detection, it is essential to convert RNA to DNA using RT. This study aimed to create and characterize a thermostable Moloney Murine Reverse Transcriptase (MMLV-RT) enzyme by using consensus sequences from the latest MMLV-RT sequence database. Methodology The six latest sequences encoding MMLV-RT were retrieved from the NCBI website, and the consensus sequence was determined and cloned into the pET28a (+) vector. The vector was overexpressed in an E. coli expression system. The enzyme obtained was purified using Talon accept resin. The purified enzyme was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western Blotting. The enzyme performance was evaluated by performing PCR on 89 SARS-CoV 2 positive samples and 40 negative samples both in a concentrated state and at a dilution factor of x10−1. The performance was compared with that of the commercial enzyme, a commercial RT enzyme kit, and Superscript (Invitrogen). Results The enzyme was successfully expressed in E. coli. The concentration of MMLV-RT used was 0.313 mg/mL. The concentrated enzyme detected 98.9% of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, whereas the diluted RT enzyme detected 92.1% of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. In contrast, the diagnostic specificity was 98% for concentrated RT and 95% for diluted RT. This showed that the recombinant in-house MMLV-RT enzyme prototype could be used for the PCR amplification of viral RNA. (Figure 3) Conclusion We successfully produced a recombinant MMLV-RT enzyme whose performance was comparable to that of standard commercial reverse transcriptase (P <0.0001).

Background: Timely testing is a key determinant of management outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests are currently the mainstay for COVID-19 testing. However, serological point-of-care tests (PoCTs) can be useful in identifying asymptomatic and recovered cases, as well as herd immunity.Objective: The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19 PoCTs in Kenya to support the emergency use authorisation of these tests.Methods: Between March 2020 and May 2020, 18 firms, of which 13 were from China, submitted their PoCTs to the national regulatory authority, the Pharmacy and Poison Board, who in turn forwarded them to the Kenya Medical Research Institute for pre-evaluation assessment. The tests were run with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction COVID-19-positive samples. Pre-COVID-19 plasma samples that were collected in June 2019 were used as negative samples. The shelf lives of the PoCTs ranged from 6 to 24 months.Results: Only nine (50%) tests had sensitivities ≥ 40% (range: 40% – 60%) and the ability of these tests to detect IgM ranged from 0% to 50%. Many (7/18; 38.9%) of the kits had very weak IgM and IgG band intensities (range: 2–3).Conclusion: Serological-based PoCTs available in Kenya can only detect COVID-19 in up to 60% of the infected population.