TY - JOUR
T1 - Comparison of asymptomatic plasmodium spp. infection in two malaria-endemic colombian locations
AU - Cucunubá, Zulma Milena
AU - Guerra, Ángela Patricia
AU - Rivera, Jorge Alonso
AU - Nicholls, Rubén Santiago
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This study was supported by the National Health Institute of Colombia and by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), grant RLA/6/055. Funding organizations had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - Background: Asymptomatic infection by Plasmodium spp. could help explain the dynamics of malaria transmission in low-transmission regions. We therefore compared the prevalence of asymptomatic infection by Plasmodium spp. in two Colombian locations, Tierralta and Tumaco, with different transmission patterns, different ecological and epidemiological characteristics and potentially different associated factors. Method: Two cross-sectional studies were carried out between September 2006 and November 2007. Infection by Plasmodium spp. was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopy. Results:Prevalence of asymptomatic infection at day 0 in Tierralta was 11.3% (95% CI 7.2-16.8) by microscopy and 16.5% (95% CI 11.5-22.9) by PCR, while in Tumaco, values were 2.4% (95% CI 0.7-5.5) and 5.8% (95%CI 2.3-9.2) respectively. General prevalence of asymptomatic plasmodium infection after 28 days of follow-up was 5% (95% CI 3.2-7.7), 6.6% (95% CI 3.8-10.6%) in Tierralta and 3.4% (95% CI 1.5-6.6%) in Tumaco. Plasmodium vivax was predominant in Tierralta, P. falciparum in Tumaco. The main associated factors were male sex (aOR 2.5; 95% CI 1.0-6.7) and two to five previous malaria episodes (aOR 3.0; 95% CI 1.0-9.4). PCR detected 61% more infections than microscopy. Conclusion: Measurement of the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection is suggested as part of the epidemiologic evaluation of malaria in low-transmission areas such as Colombia.
AB - Background: Asymptomatic infection by Plasmodium spp. could help explain the dynamics of malaria transmission in low-transmission regions. We therefore compared the prevalence of asymptomatic infection by Plasmodium spp. in two Colombian locations, Tierralta and Tumaco, with different transmission patterns, different ecological and epidemiological characteristics and potentially different associated factors. Method: Two cross-sectional studies were carried out between September 2006 and November 2007. Infection by Plasmodium spp. was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microscopy. Results:Prevalence of asymptomatic infection at day 0 in Tierralta was 11.3% (95% CI 7.2-16.8) by microscopy and 16.5% (95% CI 11.5-22.9) by PCR, while in Tumaco, values were 2.4% (95% CI 0.7-5.5) and 5.8% (95%CI 2.3-9.2) respectively. General prevalence of asymptomatic plasmodium infection after 28 days of follow-up was 5% (95% CI 3.2-7.7), 6.6% (95% CI 3.8-10.6%) in Tierralta and 3.4% (95% CI 1.5-6.6%) in Tumaco. Plasmodium vivax was predominant in Tierralta, P. falciparum in Tumaco. The main associated factors were male sex (aOR 2.5; 95% CI 1.0-6.7) and two to five previous malaria episodes (aOR 3.0; 95% CI 1.0-9.4). PCR detected 61% more infections than microscopy. Conclusion: Measurement of the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection is suggested as part of the epidemiologic evaluation of malaria in low-transmission areas such as Colombia.
KW - Asymptomatic infections
KW - Colombia
KW - Malaria
KW - Microscopy
KW - Plasmodium
KW - Polymerase chain reaction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84880455905&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/trstmh/trs021
DO - 10.1093/trstmh/trs021
M3 - Article
C2 - 23222954
AN - SCOPUS:84880455905
SN - 0035-9203
VL - 107
SP - 129
EP - 136
JO - Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
JF - Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
IS - 2
M1 - trs021
ER -
