Indigenous Plasmodium malariae Infection in an Endemic Population at the Thai-Myanmar Border.
Yorsaeng R., Saeseu T., Chotivanich K., Felger I., Wampfler R., Cui L., Mueller I., Sattabongkot J., Nguitragool W.
<i>Plasmodium malariae</i> is a neglected malaria parasite. It has wide geographic distribution and, although often associated with mild malaria, is linked to a high burden of anemia and nephrotic syndromes. Here, we report a cohort study conducted in the Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand during May 2013-June 2014 in which <i>P. malariae</i> infection was detected. Of the 812 study participants, two were found to be infected with <i>P. malariae</i>. One had an infection that led to acute malaria, but the other was positive for <i>P. malariae</i> at multiple visits during the study and apparently had chronic asymptomatic infection. Such persistent infection may explain how <i>P. malariae</i> has been able to thrive at very low prevalence and represents a challenge for malaria elimination.