TY - JOUR
T1 - The role of asymptomatic P. falciparum parasitaemia in the evolution of antimalarial drug resistance in areas of seasonal transmission
AU - Babiker, Hamza A.
AU - Gadalla, Amal A.H.
AU - Ranford-Cartwright, Lisa C.
PY - 2013/2
Y1 - 2013/2
N2 - In areas with seasonal transmission, proper management of acute malaria cases that arise in the transmission season can markedly reduce the disease burden. However, asymptomatic carriage of Plasmodium falciparum sustains a long-lasting reservoir in the transmission-free dry season that seeds cyclical malaria outbreaks. Clinical trials targeting asymptomatic parasitaemia in the dry season failed to interrupt the malaria epidemics that follow annual rains. These asymptomatic infections tend to carry multiple-clones, capable of producing gametocytes and infecting Anopheles mosquitoes. Different clones within an infection fluctuate consistently, indicative of interaction between clones during the long course of asymptomatic carriage. However, the therapy-free environment that prevails in the dry season dis-advantages the drug resistant lineages and favors the wild-type parasites. This review highlights some biological and epidemiological characteristics of asymptomatic parasitaemia and calls for consideration of polices to diminish parasite exposure to drugs "therapy-free" and allow natural selection to curb drug resistance in the above setting.
AB - In areas with seasonal transmission, proper management of acute malaria cases that arise in the transmission season can markedly reduce the disease burden. However, asymptomatic carriage of Plasmodium falciparum sustains a long-lasting reservoir in the transmission-free dry season that seeds cyclical malaria outbreaks. Clinical trials targeting asymptomatic parasitaemia in the dry season failed to interrupt the malaria epidemics that follow annual rains. These asymptomatic infections tend to carry multiple-clones, capable of producing gametocytes and infecting Anopheles mosquitoes. Different clones within an infection fluctuate consistently, indicative of interaction between clones during the long course of asymptomatic carriage. However, the therapy-free environment that prevails in the dry season dis-advantages the drug resistant lineages and favors the wild-type parasites. This review highlights some biological and epidemiological characteristics of asymptomatic parasitaemia and calls for consideration of polices to diminish parasite exposure to drugs "therapy-free" and allow natural selection to curb drug resistance in the above setting.
KW - Asymptomatic malaria
KW - Drug resistance
KW - Evolutionary
KW - Fitness cost
KW - Plasmodium falciparum
KW - Seasonal transmission
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U2 - 10.1016/j.drup.2013.02.001
DO - 10.1016/j.drup.2013.02.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 23510592
AN - SCOPUS:84878230164
SN - 1368-7646
VL - 16
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - Drug Resistance Updates
JF - Drug Resistance Updates
IS - 1-2
ER -