Link to Pubmed [PMID] – 30618490
Trop Med Health 2018;46:45
Background: In the southeastern Senegal, the report of infections among febrile patients in Kedougou constitutes a new emerging health problem.
Methods: Samples from 48 asymptomatic schoolchildren sampled twice a year over 2 years were used to explore the reservoir of parasite infections in this region. Both Duffy genotyping and species diagnostic assays were performed.
Results: PCR assays detected genomic DNA in 38.5% (74/192) of samples. Pure and infections were identified in 79.7% (59/74) and 20.3% (15/74) of samples, respectively. All schoolchildren were classified as Duffy-negative by genotyping. infections were detected in five children: in two children during both years, in one child in 2010 and on May 2011, and only in 2010 for the remaining two children.
Conclusions: This unexpectedly high proportion of infections in asymptomatic Duffy-negative children highlights to consider vivax malaria as an emerging problem in Senegal.