Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026
07:14
Ookluc: A Plasmodium berghei Line for Identifying Transmission-blocking Compounds
Published on: July 11, 2025
IDOMAL: the malaria ontology revisited
Pantelis Topalis1, Elvira Mitraka, Vicky Dritsou
1Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas and Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece. louis@imbb.forth.gr.
Journal of Biomedical Semantics
|September 17, 2013
Summary
The updated malaria ontology, IDOMAL, enhances infectious disease control by improving its structure and integrating terms from other ontologies. This version better supports vector-borne disease research and data integration.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Infectious Disease Research
- Ontology Engineering
Background:
- Malaria is a significant global infectious disease with high morbidity and mortality.
- Information technology (IT) plays a crucial role in controlling malaria, particularly its mosquito vectors.
- IDOMAL (Infectious Disease Ontology for Malaria) is an evolving IT resource for malaria control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To update and enhance the IDOMAL ontology for improved malaria research and control.
- To ensure compatibility with the Infectious Disease Ontology (IDO) and other relevant ontologies.
- To refine the representation of vector-borne diseases within an ontological framework.
Main Methods:
- Structural improvements and correction of inaccuracies in IDOMAL.
- Addition of new subdomains, including natural products and remedies.
- Importation and merging of terms from higher-order ontologies.
- Alignment of IDOMAL with the Infectious Disease Ontology (IDO).
Main Results:
- IDOMAL's structure and accuracy have been improved.
- New sections on natural products and remedies were added.
- Terms were imported and merged from other ontologies.
- Efforts were made to align IDOMAL with IDO, addressing challenges in representing vector-borne diseases.
Conclusions:
- The updated IDOMAL offers increased domain coverage and optimized usability for databases and decision-support systems.
- Enhanced interoperability with other ontologies, especially IDO, is achieved.
- The malaria ontology is publicly available for download from the OBO Foundry and NCBO BioPortal.
Related Concept Videos
00:58Symbiosis
Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
01:27Diversity of Protists II
Alveolates are a group of organisms recognized by the presence of alveoli, which are cytoplasmic sacs located beneath the cell membrane. While their function remains uncertain, alveoli may help regulate water balance by controlling how much water enters and leaves the cell. In dinoflagellates, these structures may serve as armor plates. There are three major types of alveolates: ciliates, which move using cilia; dinoflagellates, which use flagella for movement; and apicomplexans, which are...
01:29Modern Molecular Taxonomy
Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...
01:27Overview of Protists
Protists are diverse eukaryotic microorganisms that lack the specialized tissues of plants and animals and the chitinous cell walls of fungi. Their early divergence within Eukarya resulted in structural, functional, and ecological diversity. They are classified into supergroups such as Archaeplastida, Excavata, Amoebozoa, Rhizaria, Alveolata, and Stramenopiles, determined through genetic analysis and structural similarities.Structural and Functional AdaptationsProtists have various adaptations...
01:20Applications of Molecular Taxonomy
Molecular taxonomy has revolutionized the understanding and classification of bacteria, providing precise insights into their diversity, evolutionary relationships, and ecological roles. By utilizing molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing and fingerprinting, researchers have made significant strides in various fields related to bacterial studies.Resolving Taxonomic AmbiguitiesMolecular taxonomy has been instrumental in distinguishing closely related bacterial species initially thought to...