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The temporal dynamics and infectiousness of subpatent Plasmodium falciparum infections in relation to parasite density

Author

Listed:
  • Hannah C. Slater

    (Imperial College London)

  • Amanda Ross

    (Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute
    University of Basel)

  • Ingrid Felger

    (University of Basel
    Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute)

  • Natalie E. Hofmann

    (University of Basel
    Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute)

  • Leanne Robinson

    (Papua New Guinea Institute for Medical Research
    The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
    University of Melbourne
    Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute)

  • Jackie Cook

    (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

  • Bronner P. Gonçalves

    (Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

  • Anders Björkman

    (Malaria Research, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology)

  • Andre Lin Ouedraogo

    (Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme
    Institute for Disease Modeling, Intellectual Ventures)

  • Ulrika Morris

    (Malaria Research, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology)

  • Mwinyi Msellem

    (Mnazi Mmoja Hospital)

  • Cristian Koepfli

    (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
    University of Notre Dame)

  • Ivo Mueller

    (The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
    Institut Pasteur
    University of Melbourne)

  • Fitsum Tadesse

    (Radboud University Medical Centre
    Armauer Hansen Research Institute
    Addis Ababa University)

  • Endalamaw Gadisa

    (Armauer Hansen Research Institute)

  • Smita Das

    (Diagnostics Program, PATH, Seattle)

  • Gonzalo Domingo

    (Diagnostics Program, PATH, Seattle)

  • Melissa Kapulu

    (University of Oxford
    University of Oxford)

  • Janet Midega

    (University of Oxford
    University of Oxford)

  • Seth Owusu-Agyei

    (University of Health and Allied Sciences)

  • Cécile Nabet

    (Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie)

  • Renaud Piarroux

    (Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Service de Parasitologie-Mycologie)

  • Ogobara Doumbo

    (University of Sciences, Technique and Technology)

  • Safiatou Niare Doumbo

    (University of Sciences, Technique and Technology)

  • Kwadwo Koram

    (University of Ghana)

  • Naomi Lucchi

    (Centers for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

  • Venkatachalam Udhayakumar

    (Centers for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

  • Jacklin Mosha

    (Mwanza Medical Research Centre)

  • Alfred Tiono

    (Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le Paludisme)

  • Daniel Chandramohan

    (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

  • Roly Gosling

    (University of California, San Francisco)

  • Felista Mwingira

    (Dar es Salaam University College of Education)

  • Robert Sauerwein

    (Radboud University Medical Centre)

  • Richard Paul

    (Laboratoire d‘Entomologie Médicale)

  • Eleanor M Riley

    (Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
    University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush)

  • Nicholas J White

    (Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford
    Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University)

  • Francois Nosten

    (Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford
    Mahidol–Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University)

  • Mallika Imwong

    (Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University
    Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University)

  • Teun Bousema

    (Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
    Radboud University Medical Centre)

  • Chris Drakeley

    (Department of Immunology and Infection, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine)

  • Lucy C Okell

    (Imperial College London)

Abstract

Malaria infections occurring below the limit of detection of standard diagnostics are common in all endemic settings. However, key questions remain surrounding their contribution to sustaining transmission and whether they need to be detected and targeted to achieve malaria elimination. In this study we analyse a range of malaria datasets to quantify the density, detectability, course of infection and infectiousness of subpatent infections. Asymptomatically infected individuals have lower parasite densities on average in low transmission settings compared to individuals in higher transmission settings. In cohort studies, subpatent infections are found to be predictive of future periods of patent infection and in membrane feeding studies, individuals infected with subpatent asexual parasite densities are found to be approximately a third as infectious to mosquitoes as individuals with patent (asexual parasite) infection. These results indicate that subpatent infections contribute to the infectious reservoir, may be long lasting, and require more sensitive diagnostics to detect them in lower transmission settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah C. Slater & Amanda Ross & Ingrid Felger & Natalie E. Hofmann & Leanne Robinson & Jackie Cook & Bronner P. Gonçalves & Anders Björkman & Andre Lin Ouedraogo & Ulrika Morris & Mwinyi Msellem & Cr, 2019. "The temporal dynamics and infectiousness of subpatent Plasmodium falciparum infections in relation to parasite density," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-16, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-09441-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09441-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Aurel Holzschuh & Anita Lerch & Inna Gerlovina & Bakar S. Fakih & Abdul-wahid H. Al-mafazy & Erik J. Reaves & Abdullah Ali & Faiza Abbas & Mohamed Haji Ali & Mohamed Ali Ali & Manuel W. Hetzel & Joshu, 2023. "Multiplexed ddPCR-amplicon sequencing reveals isolated Plasmodium falciparum populations amenable to local elimination in Zanzibar, Tanzania," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-16, December.

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