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Dry Post Wintertime Mass Surveillance Unearths a Huge Burden of P. vivax, and Mixed Infection with P. vivax P. falciparum, a Threat to Malaria Elimination, in Dhalai, Tripura, India
- Source :
- Pathogens, Volume 10, Issue 10, Pathogens, Vol 10, Iss 1259, p 1259 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2021.
-
Abstract
- With India aiming to achieve malaria elimination by 2030, several strategies have been put in place. With that aim, mass surveillance is now being conducted in some malaria-endemic pockets. As dry season mass surveillance has been shown to have its importance in targeting the reservoir, a study was undertaken to assess the parasite load by a sensitive molecular method during one of the mass surveys conducted in the dry winter period. It was executed in two malaria-endemic villages of Dhalai District, Tripura, in northeast India, also reported as P. falciparum predominated area. The present study found an enormous burden of Rapid Diagnostic Test negative malaria cases with P. vivax along with P. vivax and P. falciparum mixed infections during the mass surveillance from febrile and afebrile cases in dry winter months (February 2021–March 2021). Of the total 150 samples tested, 72 (48%) were positive and 78 (52%) negative for malaria by PCR. Out of the 72 positives, 6 (8.33%) were P. falciparum, 40 (55.55%) P. vivax, and 26 (36.11%) mixed infections. Out of 78 malaria negative samples, 6 (7.7%) were with symptoms, while among the total malaria positive, 72 cases 7 (9.8%) were with symptoms, and 65 (90.2%) were asymptomatic. Out of 114 samples tested by both microscopy and PCR, 42 samples turned out to be submicroscopic with 4 P. falciparum, 23 P. vivax, and 15 mixed infections. Although all P. vivax submicroscopic infections were asymptomatic, three P. falciparum cases were found to be febrile. Evidence of malaria transmission was also found in the vectors in the winter month. The study ascertained the use of molecular diagnostic techniques in detecting the actual burden of malaria, especially of P. vivax, in mass surveys. As Jhum cultivators in Tripura are at high risk, screening for the malarial reservoirs in pre-Jhum months can help with malaria control and elimination.
- Subjects :
- Microbiology (medical)
Veterinary medicine
molecular diagnostic technique
dry winter season
Plasmodium vivax
malaria
Asymptomatic
Parasite load
mixed-infections
Malaria elimination
parasitic diseases
medicine
Immunology and Allergy
Molecular Biology
Rapid diagnostic test
General Immunology and Microbiology
biology
business.industry
mass surveys
rapid diagnostic kits
Plasmodium falciparum
medicine.disease
biology.organism_classification
Infectious Diseases
asymptomatic malaria
Medicine
medicine.symptom
business
Malaria
Mixed infection
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20760817
- Volume :
- 10
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Pathogens
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....40102fcdc7d086d4ecf45dd828daecf7