Asymptomatic School-Aged Children Are Important Drivers of Malaria Transmission in a High Endemicity Setting in Uganda. (17th May 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rek, John; Blanken, Sara Lynn; Okoth, Joseph; Ayo, Daniel; Onyige, Ismail; Musasizi, Eric; Ramjith, Jordache; Andolina, Chiara; Lanke, Kjerstin; Arinaitwe, Emmanuel; Olwoch, Peter; Collins, Katharine A; Kamya, Moses R; Dorsey, Grant; Drakeley, Chris; Staedke, Sarah G; Bousema, Teun; Conrad, Melissa D
• Is Part Of: Journal of infectious diseases. Volume 226:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 708
• Page End: 713
• Publication Date: 2022-05-17
• Subjects: malaria transmission -- Plasmodium falciparum -- gametocytes -- mosquito feeding assays -- Uganda; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Diseases -- Causes and theories of causation -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiac169
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1899

Abstract

Abstract: Achieving malaria elimination requires a better understanding of the transmissibility of human infections in different transmission settings. This study aimed to characterize the human infectious reservoir in a high endemicity setting in eastern Uganda, using gametocyte quantification and mosquito feeding assays. In asymptomatic infections, gametocyte densities were positively associated with the proportion of infected mosquitoes (β = 1.60; 95% CI, 1.32–1.92; P < .0001). Combining transmissibility and abundance in the population, symptomatic and asymptomatic infections were estimated to contribute to 5.3% and 94.7% of the infectious reservoir, respectively. School-aged children (5–15 years old) contributed to 50.4% of transmission events and were important drivers of malaria transmission. Abstract : In an area of intense malaria transmission in Uganda, school-aged children (5–15 years old) and asymptomatic infections were identified as major contributors to the malaria human infectious reservoir and could be considered as important targets for malaria control interventions.