Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40596524›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Assessment of the infectivity of malaria parasites from asymptomatic school children to Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes in a high transmission area in Ghana.

Mawusi Adepa Mawuli, Linda Eva Amoah, Isaac Kwame Sraku, Dickson Donu, Hamza B Abagna, Festus K Acquah, Neils Ben Quashie, Yaw Asare Afrane

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Mawusi Adepa MawuliWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Linda Eva AmoahWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Isaac Kwame SrakuCentre for Vector-Borne Diseases Research, Department of Microbiology, Medical School College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
Dickson DonuDepartment of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Hamza B AbagnaDepartment of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Festus K AcquahDepartment of Immunology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Neils Ben QuashieWest African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Yaw Asare AfraneCentre for Vector-Borne Diseases Research, Department of Microbiology, Medical School College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, University of Ghana, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana. YAfrane@ug.edu.gh.

Funding

Regional Centre for Vector Borne Diseases in West Africa (RCVBD)D43TW011513 · FIC · UNIVERSITY OF GHANA · PI YAW ASARE AFRANE, Guiyun Yan · 2021 to 2026
$1.5M
DELTAS Africa grant DEL-15-007FIC NIH HHS D43 TW011513National Institute of Health R01 A1123074University of Ghana Office of Research and Innovation and Development UGFD/11/2016-2017/002World Bank African Centres of Excellence grant WACCBIP+NCDs
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Asymptomatic carriage of malaria parasite is a major public health issue in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa. These infections are mostly sub-microscopic and not detected by routine malaria screening methods. Asymptomatic malaria infection carriers serve as an infectious reservoir for malaria transmission. This study assessed the infectivity of asymptomatic children to Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes in a high transmission area in Ghana. Ninety-eight (98) healthy children were screened for malaria parasites by microscopy and PCR. Sub-microscopic gametocytes carriage was also determined using RT-PCR. Blood samples from asymptomatic parasite carriers were used in membrane feeding assays of laboratory colonies of An. gambiae mosquitoes. Infectivity was assessed by dissection of mosquito midguts and the mosquito infection rate and oocyst densities were recorded. The total participants that were asymptomatic for malaria was 73/98 (74.49%). Malaria parasite prevalence was 13.7% by microscopy and 78.08% by PCR. Sub-microscopic infections accounted for 64.38% (47/73) of the asymptomatic parasite carriers. No gametocytes were detected, however, the Pfg377 gene was observed in 33.33% (19/57) of the asymptomatic parasite carriers. Blood from 4 out of 19 asymptomatic carriers, associated with carriage of sub-microscopic gametocytes, were found to be infectious to the An. gambiae mosquitoes. The average oocyst density observed was 0.01, with an overall mosquito infection rate of 0.07. This data will be helpful in improving current malaria control efforts in Ghana.

Indexed as

AnophelesMalariaMalaria, FalciparumMosquito VectorsPlasmodium falciparumAnimalsAsymptomatic InfectionsChildChild, PreschoolFemaleGhanaHumansMaleOocystsPrevalenceAsymptomatic infection carriersGhanaMalariaMembrane feedingOocyst

Identifiers

PMID40596524
PMCPMC12219327

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.