Asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection in Tierralta, Colombia
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
;
103(7): 668-673, Nov. 2008. mapas, tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-498375
ABSTRACT
With the aim of determining the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection by thick smear and PCR and its association with demographic and epidemiological characteristics in the village of Nuevo Tay, Tierralta, Córdoba, Colombia, a cross-sectional population study was carried out, using random probabilistic sampling. Venous blood samples were taken from 212 people on day 0 for thick smear and PCR. Clinical follow-up and thick smears were carried out on days 14 and 28. The prevalence of Plasmodium spp. infection was 17.9 percent (38/212; 95 percent CI 12.5-23.3 percent) and the prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodiumspp. infection was 14.6 percent (31/212; 95 percent CI 9.6-19.6 percent). Plasmodium vivax was found more frequently (20/31; 64.5 percent) than Plasmodium falciparum (9/31; 29 percent) and mixed infections (2/31; 6.5 percent). A significantly higher prevalence of asymptomatic infection was found in men (19.30 percent) than in women (9.18 percent) (prevalence ratio 2.10; 95 percent CI 1.01-4.34 percent; p = 0.02). People who developed symptoms had a significantly higher parasitemia on day 0 than those who remained asymptomatic, of 1,881.5 ± 3,759 versus 79 ± 106.9 (p = 0.008). PCR detected 50 percent more infections than the thick smears. The presence of asymptomatic Plasmodium spp. infection highlights the importance of carrying out active searches amongst asymptomatic populations residing in endemic areas.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
DNA, Protozoan
/
Malaria, Vivax
/
Malaria, Falciparum
Type of study:
Diagnostic study
/
Observational study
/
Prevalence study
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Colombia
Language:
English
Journal:
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
Journal subject:
Tropical Medicine
/
Parasitology
Year:
2008
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Colombia
Institution/Affiliation country:
Instituto Nacional de Salud/CO
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