Last Updated: 18/11/2015
Parasite signatures of asymptomatic malaria: a tool to assess the risk of being asymptomatic
Objectives
The overall aim of this study is to develop a rapid tool to determine parasite factors that are associated with the risk of asymptomatic malaria in the context of elimination activities in South Mozambique (Mozambican Alliance Towards Elimination of Malaria: MALTEM).
The hypothesis is that overexpression of var group C variants and parasite transcription factor PfSir2, as well as low transcription ribosomal RNA gene, constitute parasite signatures of asymptomatic malaria in a given population.
To estimate the risk of asymptomatic parasitaemias out of all malaria infections in various phases of malaria eradication, we need a deeper understanding of the interplay between parasite factors, host immunity and malaria transmission that can shift the balance between disease states. Parasite factors have been suggested to contribute to the development of asymptomatic infection, based on differences noted between different parasite strains and isolates in their pyrogenic thresholds, maximum parasitemia and replication rates. Parasite characteristics that are shaped by host immunity, such as antigen repertoire exposed to the immune system, as well as factors involved in the virulence of malaria infection and malaria proliferation, have the potential to inform about the risk of asymptomatic malaria in a given area.
Aug 2015 — Dec 2016
