Genetic composition of Plasmodium falciparum infections in Zanzibar, travel and transmission: a follow-up to the RADZEC study

Travel between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania is likely to contribute substantially to the malaria case load on the islands of Zanzibar. In this study, we will investigate the genetic composition of Plasmoidium falciparum parasite populations in Zanzibar from samples collected during the RADZEC rolling cross-sectional survey. Alongside the genetic investigations, we will analyse travel patterns of malaria patients and their household contacts to investigate associations of particular travel patterns with malaria infection status in general, and infection with particular parasite genotypes in particular. This will be complemented by modeling of the improtance of imported for sustaining malaria transmission in Zanzibar.

Involved Regions: Africa
Involved Countries: Tanzania, United Republic of, United States of America (the)

Vera-Arias C.A, Holzschuh A, Oduma C.O, Badu K, Abdul-Hakim M, Yukich J, Hetzel M.W, Fakih B.S, Ali A, Ferreira M.U, Ladeia-Andrade S, Sáenz F.E, Afrane Y, Zemene E, Yewhalaw D, Kazura J.W, Yan G, Koepfli C. High-throughput Plasmodium falciparum hrp2 and hrp3 gene deletion typing by digital PCR to monitor malaria rapid diagnostic test efficacy. eLife. 2022;11:e72083. DOI: 10.7554/eLife.72083

Das A.M, Hetzel M.W, Yukich J.O, Stuck L, Fakih B.S, Al-mafazy A.H, Ali A, Chitnis N. The impact of reactive case detection on malaria transmission in Zanzibar in the presence of human mobility. Epidemics. 2022;41:100639. DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2022.100639

Holzschuh A, Lerch A, Gerlovina I, Fakih B.S, Al-mafazy A.H, Reaves E.J, Ali A, Abbas F, Ali M.H, Ali M.A, Hetzel M.W, Yukich J, Koepfli C. Multiplexed ddPCR-amplicon sequencing reveals isolated Plasmodium falciparum populations amenable to local elimination in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Nat Commun. 2023;14:3699. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39417-1

Das A.M, Hetzel M.W, Yukich J.O, Stuck L, Fakih B.S, Al-mafazy A.H, Ali A, Chitnis N. Modelling the impact of interventions on imported, introduced and indigenous malaria infections in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Nat Commun. 2023;14:2750. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38379-8

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