Plasmodium falciparum and Necator americanus in Gabon: observation, intervention, and controlled human infection

Alabi, A. (2026)

Doctoral Thesis

This thesis, conducted in Lambaréné, Gabon,  examines malaria and hookworm as major parasitic diseases that continue to burden low-resource settings. The thesis highlights the need for improved point-of-care biomarkers, assesses the PfSPZ malaria vaccine, and establishes a controlled human hookworm infection model in a hookworm endemic area for the first time. The effect of pre-exposure to malaria or hookworm infection on the human immune response is an important theme.

• Acute febrile illness
• Antimicrobial stewardship
• Malaria
• Hookworm
• Controlled human infection model
• Plasmodium falciparum
• Necator americanus
• Vaccine development
• The Netherlands
• Gabon

• All authors: Alabi, A.
• Supervisor: Yazdanbakhsh, M.; Agnandji, S.T.
• Committee: Roestenberg, M.; Hellemond, J. van; Schaumburg, F.; Houlder, E.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Leiden University
• Date: 2026-09-02
• Sponsorship: NWO-WOTRO Science for Global Development Programme [grant no. W 07.30318.019], and the European Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) 2 Programme [grant nos. WISE II IKAA2024AGDG-3316 and TMA2017SF-1946]