Malariometric update for the rainforest and savanna of Ashanti region, Ghana

The epidemiological features of human infection with Plasmodium were studie d in a community-based survey of 35 villages in the Ashanti region of Ghana . The overall prevalences of malarial parasitaemia in subjects aged greater than or equal to 2 years were 50.72% in forest areas and 49.72% in savanna . Plasmodium falciparum was the predominant species everywhere, followed by P. malariae in the savanna and P. ovate in the forest. The highest prevale nce of asexual parasitaemia (of any species) occurred in the youngest age-g roup (2-9 years). The geometric mean intensities of parasitaemia among the parasitaemic (i.e. the parasite density indices) were 557, 640 and 452 para sites/mu l for P. falciparum, P. ovate and P. malariae, respectively. For e ach Plasmodium species encountered, the mean intensity of parasitaemia decr eased with age. Mixed infections were observed in 24% and 30% of the parasi taemic subjects from the forest and savanna, respectively. Those infected w ith P. falciparum were more likely to carry P. ovale (odds ratio = 2.02) or P. malariae (odds ratio = 2.63) than those who were not infected with P. f alciparum. Mean intensities of the parasitaemias in mixed infections were s ubstantially higher than the sums of those in the corresponding single infe ctions. When comparing villages, parasite density indices were found to be correlated with the prevalences of parasitaemia (r = 0.56).