Plasmodium vivax Infections in Duffy-Negative Individuals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

ABSTRACT: Although Plasmodium vivax has been assumed to be absent from sub-Saharan Africa because of the protective mutation conferring the Duffy-negative phenotype, recent evidence has suggested that P. vivax cases are prevalent in these regions. We selected 292 dried blood spots from children who participated in the 2013-2014 Demographic and Health Survey of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to assess for P. vivax infection. Four P. vivax infections were identified by polymerase chain reaction, each in a geographically different survey cluster. Using these as index cases, we tested the remaining 73 samples from the four clusters. With this approach, 10 confirmed cases, three probable cases, and one possible case of P. vivax were identified. Among the 14

SUBMITTER: Brazeau NF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6221210 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature