Transmission and immunity: the importance of heterogeneity in the fight against malaria

The complex relationship between transmission and parasite prevalence in humans is an important issue. Using a large dataset matching estimates of malaria transmission and Plasmodium falciparum prevalence in African children, a stimulating study published in Nature provides evidence that heterogenei...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in parasitology 2006-08, Vol.22 (8), p.345-348
Main Authors: Filion, Guillaume J.P., Paul, Richard E.L., Robert, Vincent
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Africa - epidemiology
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Emerging diseases
Host-Parasite Interactions
Human health and pathology
Human protozoal diseases
Humans
Immunity, Innate
Infectious diseases
Life Sciences
Malaria
Malaria, Falciparum
Malaria, Falciparum - epidemiology
Malaria, Falciparum - immunology
Malaria, Falciparum - transmission
Medical sciences
Parasitic diseases
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium falciparum - immunology
Prevalence
Protozoal diseases
Public Health
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Summary:The complex relationship between transmission and parasite prevalence in humans is an important issue. Using a large dataset matching estimates of malaria transmission and Plasmodium falciparum prevalence in African children, a stimulating study published in Nature provides evidence that heterogeneity in susceptibility crucially determines the prevalence of infection. Moreover, it suggests that children who clear infections are not immune to new infections, irrespective of the amount of transmission. It is important to question the relevance of such results based on mathematical models when discussing host–parasite interactions, especially their implications for public health interventions.
ISSN:1471-4922
1471-5007
DOI:10.1016/j.pt.2006.06.005