ArticleMalaria journal2023
Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum carriage and clinical disease: a 5-year community-based longitudinal study in The Gambia.
Article in Malaria journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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13 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Genetic diversity of the Plasmodium falciparum msp2 gene in children from the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: a comparative study of clinical and subclinical infections.BMC medical genomics · 2026Article
- Low-density asymptomatic parasitemia in southern Zambia does not lead to clinical malaria and is not associated with household transmission: results from a two-year cohort study.Research square · 2026Article
- Patterns of patent and sub-patent Plasmodium falciparum infections in household members of children under seasonal malaria chemoprevention coverage in the health district of Nanoro, Burkina Faso.Malaria journal · 2025Article
- Hidden reservoirs of infection: prevalence and risk factors of asymptomatic malaria in a high-endemic region of Zambia.Malaria journal · 2025Article
- Asymptomatic school children and adults are important for the human infectious reservoir for Plasmodium falciparum malaria in an area of low endemicity in The Gambia.The Journal of infection · 2025Observational
- Article
- High incidence of clinical malaria among asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infected children receiving SMC with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine (SP + AQ) in Koulikoro, Mali.Malaria journal · 2025Article
- Prevalence and drivers of malaria infection among asymptomatic and symptomatic community members in five regions with varying transmission intensity in mainland Tanzania.Parasites & vectors · 2025Article
- Multiplication rate variation of malaria parasites from hospital cases and community infections.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Prospective acceptability of mass drug administration for malaria in Kedougou region in Senegal: a mixed method study.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Mathematical Assessment of the Role of Intervention Programs for Malaria Control.Bulletin of mathematical biology · 2024Article
- Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum carriage at the end of the dry season is associated with subsequent infection and clinical malaria in Eastern Gambia.Malaria journal · 2024Article
- Mathematical assessment of the role of intervention programs for malaria control.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
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Abstract
backgroundCarriers of persistent asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections constitute an infectious reservoir that maintains malaria transmission. Understanding the extent of carriage and characteristics of carriers specific to endemic areas could guide use of interventions to reduce infectious reservoir.
methodsIn eastern Gambia, an all-age cohort from four villages was followed up from 2012 to 2016. Each year, cross-sectional surveys were conducted at the end of the malaria transmission season (January) and just before the start of the next one (June) to determine asymptomatic P. falciparum carriage. Passive case detection was conducted during each transmission season (August to January) to determine incidence of clinical malaria. Association between carriage at the end of the season and at start of the next one and the risk factors for this were assessed. Effect of carriage before start of the season on risk of clinical malaria during the season was also examined.
resultsA total of 1403 individuals-1154 from a semi-urban village and 249 from three rural villages were enrolled; median age was 12 years (interquartile range [IQR] 6, 30) and 12 years (IQR 7, 27) respectively. In adjusted analysis, asymptomatic P. falciparum carriage at the end of a transmission season and carriage just before start of the next one were strongly associated (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 19.99; 95% CI 12.57-31.77, p < 0.001). The odds of persistent carriage (i.e. infected both in January and in June) were higher in rural villages (aOR = 13.0; 95% CI 6.33-26.88, p < 0.001) and in children aged 5-15 years (aOR = 5.03; 95% CI 2.47-10.23, p = < 0.001). In the rural villages, carriage before start of the season was associated with a lower risk of clinical malaria during the season (incidence risk ratio [IRR] 0.48, 95% CI 0.27-0.81, p = 0.007).
conclusionsAsymptomatic P. falciparum carriage at the end of a transmission season strongly predicted carriage just before start of the next one. Interventions that clear persistent asymptomatic infections when targeted at the subpopulation with high risk of carriage may reduce the infectious reservoir responsible for launching seasonal transmission.
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