Prospective risk of morbidity in relation to malaria infection in an area of high endemicity of multiple species of Plasmodium

Citation
T. Smith et al., Prospective risk of morbidity in relation to malaria infection in an area of high endemicity of multiple species of Plasmodium, AM J TROP M, 64(5-6), 2001, pp. 262-267
Citations number
26
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
Journal title
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE
ISSN journal
00029637 → ACNP
Volume
64
Issue
5-6
Year of publication
2001
Pages
262 - 267
Database
ISI
SICI code
0002-9637(200105/06)64:5-6<262:PROMIR>2.0.ZU;2-8
Abstract
In an area of Papua New Guinea with high prevalence of Plasmodium falciparu m (39.6%), Plasmodium vivax (18.3%), and Plasmodium malariae (13.8%), cross -sectional analysis found P. falciparum infection to be independent of the other species despite heterogeneities in transmission. Plasmodium vivax and P. malariae infections were negatively correlated. Plasmodium malariae inf ection was positively associated with homologous infection four months prev iously and with prior P. falciparum, but not P. vivax infection. There were no other indications that any Plasmodium species protected against heterol ogous infection. Prospective analysis of health-center morbidity supported the idea that P. malariae infection protects against disease, but indicated greater protection against non-malaria than P. falciparum-associated fever s. Plasmodium vivax appeared to protect against P. falciparum disease but n ot against other forms of morbidity. Covariate adjustment had considerable effects on estimated relationships between species, and confounding variabl es may account for many differences among reports of inter-species interact ions in human malaria.