Force of infection is key to understanding the epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Papua New Guinean children

I Mueller; S Schoepflin; TA Smith; KL Benton; MT Bretscher; E Lin; B Kiniboro; PA Zimmerman; TP Speed; P Siba; I Felger

Journal article

Force of infection is key to understanding the epidemiology of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Papua New Guinean children

I Mueller, S Schoepflin, TA Smith, KL Benton, MT Bretscher, E Lin, B Kiniboro, PA Zimmerman, TP Speed, P Siba, I Felger

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | Published : 2012

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1200841109

Abstract

Genotyping Plasmodium falciparum parasites in longitudinal studies provides a robust approach to estimating force of infection (FOI) in the presence of superinfections. Themolecular parameter molFOI, defined as the number of new P. falciparum clones acquired over time, describes basic malaria epidemiology and is suitable for measuring outcomes of interventions. This study was designed to test whether molFOI influenced the risk of clinical malaria episodes and how far molFOI reflected environmental determinants of transmission, such as seasonality and small-scale geographical variation or effects of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Two hundred sixty-four children 1-3 y of age fromPapuaNewGuin..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Ivo Mueller Author

Terence Speed Author

Grants

Awarded by Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung

Funding Acknowledgements

We thank the study participants and their parents or guardians, and the Institute of Medical Research field team and microscopists. The study was supported by Swiss National Science Foundation Grants 310030-134889 and 31003A-112196 and National Institutes of Health Grants AI063135, AI-46919, and TW007872.