Malaria prevalence in asymptomatic and symptomatic children in Kiwangwa, Bagamoyo district, Tanzania

Malaria Journal

Research

Felista Mwingira¹  Majige Selemani²  Deborah Sumari³  Kefas Mugittu⁴  Joseph Mugasa⁵  Paul Gwakisa⁶ 

[1] Biological Sciences Department, Dar es Salaam University College of Education, P. O. Box 2329, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;Intervention and Clinical Trials Department, Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, Tanzania;Department of Statistics, University of Dar es Salaam, P. O. Box 35047, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;Intervention and Clinical Trials Department, Ifakara Health Institute, Bagamoyo, Tanzania;School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution for Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania;Muvek Laboratories, P. O. Box 105270, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;National Institute for Medical Research, Amani Medical Research Centre, P. O. Box 81, Muheza, Tanga, Tanzania;School of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, The Nelson Mandela African Institution for Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania;Genome Sciences Centre and Department of Microbiology, Parasitology and Immunology, College of Veterinary and Medical Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P. O. Box 3019, Morogoro, Tanzania;

关键词: Symptomatic malaria;    Asymptomatic malaria;    Plasmodium falciparum;    Tanzania;    Quantitative PCR;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12936-017-1870-4

 received in 2017-02-14, accepted in 2017-05-18,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMalaria prevalence continues to decline across sub-Saharan Africa as a result of various intervention strategies. However, the diseases still poses a public health concern in the region. While symptomatic malaria is recognized and treated, asymptomatic infections become increasingly important for interrupting transmission. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess malaria prevalence in symptomatic and asymptomatic children in Kiwangwa ward in Bagamoyo District in Tanzania.MethodsFour hundred school-aged children in Kiwanga ward were recruited in the study; 200 from Kiwangwa dispensary and 200 from nearby schools. Primary health parameters were examined and blood samples collected and examined for Plasmodium falciparum prevalence using rapid diagnostic test (RDT), light microscopy (LM) and reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) targeting transcripts of A-type 18s rRNA of P. falciparum. Gametocytes were detected by LM and RT-qPCR targeting transcripts of gametocyte specific marker, Pfs25.ResultsOverall P. falciparum prevalence was 73.3, 40.8 and 36.3% by RT-qPCR, RDT and LM in the study area, respectively (P < 0.001). As expected symptomatic children had a significantly higher prevalence of 89, 67.5 and 64.5% by qPCR, RDT and LM, compared to 57.5, 14 and 8% in the asymptomatic group, respectively. However, gametocyte prevalence in asymptomatic individuals was higher by both LM (2%) and qPCR (14%) than in symptomatic individuals LM (0.5%) and qPCR (3%).ConclusionsA substantial difference in prevalence of symptomatic and asymptomatic infections observed in Kiwangwa ward underpins the use of molecular tools in malaria surveillance aiming at estimating prevalence and transmission. Notably, the higher gametocytaemia observed in asymptomatic children indicates the reservoir infections and points to the need for detection and treatment of both asymptomatic and symptomatic malaria.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2017