London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research at COR-NTD and ASTMH

17 Nov 2019

This week, over 4,800 global health researchers will converge in Maryland, USA, to attend the 68th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) and a meeting of the Coalition for Operational Research on Neglected Tropical Diseases (COR-NTD).

ASTMH and COR-NTD are an opportunity for researchers to share knowledge and optimise operational research in support of work to prevent, control and eliminate NTDs and other infectious diseases. 

This year’s schedule features a diverse cross-section of plenaries, workshops, breakout sessions and poster presentations, including more than 20 presentations from members of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research (LCNTDR).

See below for a schedule of presentations featuring researchers from LCNTDR member institutions.

COR-NTDs

Monday 18-11-2019

13:00 – 16:00: Breakout session 1C: Eradicating trachoma by 2030?

  • What can global evaluation unit-level data tell us about the need for a trachoma eradication strategy? Emma Harding-Esch, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

13:00 – 16:00: Breakout session 1D: The road to 2030: Country perspectives on the role of drug donations beyond 2030 (Chaired by Lesley Drake)

  • The Kenyan National Deworming Programme – Dr Stella Kepha, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Kenya

Tuesday 19-11-2019

09:00 – 12:00: Breakout session 2D: Assessment of schistosomiasis and trachoma distribution in urban areas for targeted interventions (Chaired by David Rollinson)

  • Assess current knowledge on trachoma and schistosomiasis prevalence in urban settings - Emma Harding-Esch, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

09:00 – 12:00: Breakout session 2E: Innovating, integrated and standardised approaches in mapping IDM diseases (Chaired by Jorge Cano)

  • Integrated intensified case management NTDs surveys in West Africa – Rachel Pullan, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Challenges for the low-scale mapping and spatial modelling of IDM NTDs – Hope Simpson, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Cameroon: how large-scale modelling of IDM diseases can support and guide micro-scale integrated mapping – Jorge Cano, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

09:00 – 12:00: Breakout session 2G: New diagnostics for NTDs: Harnessing advancements to support surveillance and elimination goals (Chaired by Roy Anderson)

  • Evaluating the performance of POC-CCA for the detection of intestinal schistosomiasis in areas with low parasite burden, and the trace debate – Anna Phillips, Imperial College London
  • QPCR-based diagnostics: how close are we to translating CQ values to intensity of infection? – Marina Papaiakovou, Natural History Museum
  • Point-Of-Need molecular diagnostics: potential for supporting urogenital schistosomiasis elimination - Bonnie Webster, Natural History Museum
  • Diagnostics for zoonotic, livestock and wildlife schistosomiasis in Africa - Joanne Webster, Royal Veterinary College

13.00 – 16.00: Breakout session 3B: Supporting countries to generate high-quality NTD prevalence data

  • Tropical Data: A globally standardised methodology for trachoma prevalence survey data – Emma Harding-Esch, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

13.00 – 16.00: Breakout session 3G: Exploring the potential of integrated serological surveillance platforms in elimination settings

  • Understanding the transmission of trachoma through sero-surveillance – Amy Pinsent, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Understanding spatial patterns of transmission using serological markers – Kimberly Fornace, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

13.00 – 16.00: Breakout session 3F: Enhanced case detection and skin NTDs

  • Disease burden and epidemiology of skin-presenting NTDs in Liberia: an integrated cluster-randomised active case search - Michael Marks, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

ASTMH

Thursday 21-11-2019

08:00 – 09:45: Session 12. Schistosomiasis trematodes: Epidemiology and control

  • Presentation 37: Impact of biannual community-wide and school-based treatment of Urogenital schistosomiasis in Niger.

Researchers: N Dhanani, A Garba, A Hamidou, A Phillips

12:00 – 13:45 Session 26 – Poster session A

  • Presentation 546: Interrupting transmission of soil-transmitted helminths and schistosome parasites in Ethiopia the Geshiyaro project protocol. 

Researchers: E Abate, R Anderson, J Dunn, E Mc Naughton, N Nigussu, A Ower, A Phillips, F Seife, H Sime, G Tadesse

12:00 - 13:45 Poster session A: Water Treatment Processes for Preventing Transmission of Schistosomiasis.

Researchers: L Braun, L Hazell, M Templeton

Presentation 610: Ultraviolet Disinfection of Schistosome Cercariae in Water Using Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes

Researchers: L Hazell and M Templeton

Presentation 595: Specific Nucleic Acids Ligation for detection of Schistosomes: SNAILS
 

Researchers: A Webb, T Landeryou, R Kelwick, F Allan, A Emery, K Jensen, M Templeton, P Freemont

Friday 22-11-2019

08:00 – 09:45: Session 63: Schistosomiasis and other trematodes: Diagnosis and treatment

Presentation 691: POC-CCA performance for mapping low and moderate endemicity areas for schistosomiasis mansoni and therapeutic efficacy evaluation following school-based praziquantel administration (60mg/kg) in Brazil.

Researchers: A Phillips

12:00 – 13:45: Session 77 Poster Session B.

Presentation 1155: Forecasting the impact of mass drug administration in a heterogenous environment within the DeWorm3 trail in Benin, Malawi and India.

Researchers: R Anderson, R Hardwick, J Truscott, M Werkman, DeWorm3 Trial Team

Presentation 1157: Compliance to treatment in the Geshiyaro project: testing the feasibility of interrupting transmission.

Researchers: R Anderson, J Dunn, O Eneanya, R Hardwich, E McNaughton, AK Ower, A Phillips, J Truscott

Presentation 1213: Post-treatment surveillance criteria for Schistosoma mansoni: Will elimination or resurgence occur after stopped mass drug administration?

Researchers: R Anderson, G Medley, A Phillips, J Trustcott, J Toor, H Turner, M Werkman

Presentation 1218: Modelling the impact of vaccination strategies on the transmission of schistosomiasis.

Researchers: R Anderson, K Kura, J Toor, J Truscott

Saturday 23-11-2019

12:00 – 13:45: Session 131 Poster Session C.

Presentation 1812: Mapping the pre-control prevalence of lymphatic filariasis across Nigeria.

Presentation 1818: The effect of albendazole treatment on Loa loa: A systematic review, meta-analysis and modelling study.

Researchers: M Basanez, B Lambert, C Whittaker

Presentation 1881: Impact of water, sanitation and hygiene on community-level intestinal parasites in Ethiopia: the Geshiyaro Project.

Researchers: R Anderson, J Dunn, A Ower, A Phillips 

13:45 – 16:30: School-based health interventions: Ensuring children and adolescents can achieve their full potential as adults. 

Researchers: L Drake

Sunday 24-11-2019

08:00 – 09:45: Session 172: Bacteriology, Trachoma and other Bacterial Infections, Diagnostics.

Researchers: T Mtuy

11.15 – 13.00: Session 186: Intestinal and tissue nematodes: Soil-transmitted helminths – Epidemiology and control.

Presentation Co-Chair – J Dunn

Presentation 1998: Predisposition and household clustering of soil-transmitted helminth infection evident in Myanmar communities that have receive extensive mass drug administration.

Researchers: R Anderson, J Dunn

Presentation 2002: Relevant spatial scale for evaluation units for elimination programs for soil-transmitted helminths given geography of settlements and human movement

Researchers: R Anderson, R Hardwick, J Truscott, C Vegvari