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  • Title: Frequent and persistent, asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections in African infants, characterized by multilocus genotyping.
    Author: Franks S, Koram KA, Wagner GE, Tetteh K, McGuinness D, Wheeler JG, Nkrumah F, Ranford-Cartwright L, Riley EM.
    Journal: J Infect Dis; 2001 Mar 01; 183(5):796-804. PubMed ID: 11181157.
    Abstract:
    To determine the duration and complexity of naturally acquired Plasmodium falciparum infections in small children, a longitudinal cohort study of 143 newborns was conducted in coastal Ghana. On average, children experienced 2 episodes of infection in their first 2 years of life, the median duration of an asymptomatic infection was <4 weeks, and estimates of the mean number of parasite genotypes per infection were 1.15-2.28. Nevertheless, 40% of the children experienced infections lasting </=12 weeks, and both the duration and complexity of infections increased with age. The longest period of continual infection was 64 weeks, and the maximum persistence of a single parasite genotype was 40 weeks. Thus, malaria infections in infants <5 months old tend to be asymptomatic and rapidly cleared; persistent asymptomatic parasitemia is more common in children >5 months old. The ability of very young children to clear or control malaria infections indicates the presence of effective innate or immune antiparasite mechanisms.
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