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Failure to detect Plasmodium vivax in West and Central Africa by PCR species typing.
- Source :
-
Malaria journal [Malar J] 2008 Sep 11; Vol. 7, pp. 174. Date of Electronic Publication: 2008 Sep 11. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Background: Plasmodium vivax is estimated to affect 75 million people annually. It is reportedly absent, however, from west and central Africa due to the high prevalence of the Duffy negative phenotype in the indigenous populations. Despite this, non-African travellers consistently return to their own countries with P. vivax malaria after visiting this region. An attempt was made, therefore, to detect the presence of P. vivax parasites in blood samples collected from the indigenous populations of west and central Africa.<br />Methods: Parasite species typing (for all four human malaria parasites) was carried out by PCR on 2,588 blood samples collected from individuals from nine African malaria-endemic countries.<br />Results: Most infections (98.5%) were Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium malariae was identified in 8.5% of all infections, and Plasmodium ovale in 3.9%. The prevalence of both parasites varied greatly by country. Only one case of P. vivax was detected from Sao Tome, an island off the west coast of Africa, confirming the scarcity of this parasite in Africa.<br />Conclusion: The prevalence of P. vivax in local populations in sub-Saharan Africa is very low, despite the frequent identification of this parasite in non-African travellers.
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Africa, Central epidemiology
Africa, Western epidemiology
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Blood parasitology
Child
Child, Preschool
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Malaria, Vivax epidemiology
Middle Aged
Plasmodium falciparum genetics
Plasmodium falciparum isolation & purification
Plasmodium malariae genetics
Plasmodium malariae isolation & purification
Plasmodium ovale genetics
Plasmodium ovale isolation & purification
Plasmodium vivax genetics
Population Groups
Prevalence
Travel
Malaria, Vivax diagnosis
Plasmodium vivax isolation & purification
Polymerase Chain Reaction methods
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1475-2875
- Volume :
- 7
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Malaria journal
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 18783630
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2875-7-174