ArticleBMC infectious diseases2026
A previously low prevalence Plasmodium falciparum clone expands in an outbreak in the Pacific Coast of South America.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundEcuador is a country working towards elimination of malaria since 2012. The number of malaria cases decreased by more than 99% since 2001. Nevertheless, in recent years the progress has stagnated, and the number of cases has remained constant or increased in some areas. One of the main difficulties for the elimination of malaria in Ecuador is migration from neighboring countries. More than 75% of Plasmodium falciparum cases are concentrated in the north coast of the country near the border with Colombia.
methodsWith the goal of contributing to epidemiological surveillance in Ecuador by characterizing the P. falciparum parasites circulating in the country, the present study focused on parasites collected in northwest Ecuador to identify the possible origin of P. falciparum currently circulating. We collected 72 clinical samples between 2019 and 2021 in three localities of northwest Ecuador as well as samples originating from the bordering Nariño department in Colombia that were diagnosed in Ecuador. We performed an analysis of seven microsatellite markers and whole genome sequencing (WGS) and compared them to previously studied parasites from the region to measure their relatedness as identity by descent (IBD).
resultsOur results show shared, highly clonal parasites between Ecuador and Colombia. All infections were monoclonal. Most importantly, a low frequency clone previously found circulating in the Pacific Coast of Colombia but not in Ecuador caused new outbreaks through clonal expansions. This clone had high genetic differentiation with parasites previously circulating in the Pacific Coast of South America.
conclusionThis study confirms the persistence of long-term clones in the Pacific Coast of South America and demonstrates the potential importance of low prevalence clones to become epidemic and hamper elimination efforts in low transmission areas.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.