Detection of Plasmodium vivax in West and Central Africa
Author Information
Author(s): Richard L Culleton, Toshihiro Mita, Mathieu Ndounga, Holger Unger, Pedro VL Cravo, Giacomo M Paganotti, Nobuyuki Takahashi, Akira Kaneko, Hideaki Eto, Halidou Tinto, Corine Karema, Umberto D'Alessandro, Virgilio Rosário, Takatoshi Kobayakawa, Francine Ntoumi, Richard Carter, Kazuyuki Tanabe
Primary Institution: International Research Centre of Infectious Diseases, Research Institute of Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
Hypothesis
Is Plasmodium vivax present in indigenous populations of West and Central Africa despite the high prevalence of the Duffy negative phenotype?
Conclusion
The prevalence of P. vivax in local populations in sub-Saharan Africa is very low, despite the frequent identification of this parasite in non-African travellers.
Supporting Evidence
- 98.5% of infections were Plasmodium falciparum.
- Only one case of P. vivax was detected from Sao Tome.
- The Duffy negative phenotype occurs in over 95% of the population of west and central Africa.
Takeaway
Scientists looked for a type of malaria called P. vivax in blood samples from people in West and Central Africa and found it very rarely, even though travelers sometimes get it from that area.
Methodology
PCR species typing was performed on 2,588 blood samples collected from individuals in nine African malaria-endemic countries.
Potential Biases
Potential misdiagnosis of P. vivax as P. ovale due to reliance on microscopy in some reports.
Limitations
The study may not have captured all instances of P. vivax due to the historical perception of its absence in the region.
Participant Demographics
Blood samples were collected from individuals of various ages across nine African countries.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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