ArticleMalaria journal2017
The shape of the iceberg: quantification of submicroscopic Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax parasitaemia and gametocytaemia in five low endemic settings in Ethiopia.
Article in Malaria journal, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 58 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
58 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 82 citations in OpenAlex.
- Plasmodium vivax epidemiology in Ethiopia 2000-2020: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Pooled it
- Global patterns of submicroscopicThe Lancet. Microbe · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Trial
- Dynamics of Afebrile Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Mozambican Men.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2018Trial
- Comparative evaluation of four immunoassays for Plasmodium vivax serological detection using recombinant PvMSP1-42 antigen.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Stage-aware transcriptomics reveals selective haplotype persistence in short-termbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Uncovering silent malaria reservoirs in Southern Ethiopia: community-based molecular detection of asymptomatic and sub-microscopic infections and their implications for diagnosis and control.Malaria journal · 2026Article
- Heterogeneity of malaria transmission in urban settings in Ethiopia: A seroprevalence and risk factor analysis.PloS one · 2026Article
- Plasmodium knowlesi gametocyte carriage and load among malaria patients at Kapit Hospital in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- [SubmicroscopicMedecine tropicale et sante internationale · 2025Article
- Prospective acceptability of mass drug administration for malaria in Kedougou region in Senegal: a mixed method study.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Asymptomatic Malaria Reservoirs in Honduras: A Challenge for Elimination.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Delayed gametocyte clearance inAntimicrobial agents and chemotherapy · 2024Article
- Plasmodium gametocyte carriage in humans and sporozoite rate in anopheline mosquitoes in Gondar zuria district, Northwest Ethiopia.PloS one · 2024Article
- Article
- The potential of addressing asymptomatic malaria in the context of malaria elimination in Ethiopia: Scoping review.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2023Article
- Schoolchildren with asymptomatic malaria are potential hotspot for malaria reservoir in Ethiopia: implications for malaria control and elimination efforts.Malaria journal · 2023Article
- Absence of Asymptomatic Malaria Reservoirs in an Area with a Previous History of Local Malaria Transmission: A Successful Experience in Line with the Malaria Elimination Program in Iran.Journal of arthropod-borne diseases · 2023Article
- Using Serological Markers for the Surveillance ofPathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe widespread presence of low-density asymptomatic infections with concurrent gametocytes may be a stumbling block for malaria elimination. This study investigated the asymptomatic reservoir of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax infections in schoolchildren from five settings in northwest Ethiopia.
methodsTwo cross-sectional surveys were conducted in June and November 2015, enrolling 551 students from five schools and 294 students from three schools, respectively. Finger prick whole blood and plasma samples were collected. The prevalence and density of P. falciparum and P. vivax parasitaemia and gametocytaemia were determined by 18S rRNA quantitative PCR (qPCR) and pfs25 and pvs25 reverse transcriptase qPCR. Antibodies against blood stage antigens apical membrane antigen-1 (AMA-1) and merozoite surface protein-1 (MSP-1
resultsWhilst only 6 infections were detected by microscopy in 881 slides (0.7%), 107 of 845 blood samples (12.7%) were parasite positive by (DNA-based) qPCR. qPCR parasite prevalence between sites and surveys ranged from 3.8 to 19.0% for P. falciparum and 0.0 to 9.0% for P. vivax. The median density of P. falciparum infections (n = 85) was 24.4 parasites/µL (IQR 18.0-34.0) and the median density of P. vivax infections (n = 28) was 16.4 parasites/µL (IQR 8.8-55.1). Gametocyte densities by (mRNA-based) qRT-PCR were strongly associated with total parasite densities for both P. falciparum (correlation coefficient = 0.83, p = 0.010) and P. vivax (correlation coefficient = 0.58, p = 0.010). Antibody titers against P. falciparum AMA-1 and MSP-1 DISCUSSION: This study adds to the available evidence on the wide-scale presence of submicroscopic parasitaemia by quantifying submicroscopic parasite densities and concurrent gametocyte densities. There was considerable heterogeneity in the occurrence of P. falciparum and P. vivax infections and serological markers of parasite exposure between the examined low endemic settings in Ethiopia.
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