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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/99260
Malaria Parasites in the Asymptomatic: Looking for the Hay in the Haystack
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With malaria elimination back on the international agenda,
programs face the challenge of targeting all Plasmodium
infections, not only symptomatic cases. As asymptomatic
individuals are unlikely to seek treatment, they are missed by
passive surveillance while remaining infectious to mosquitoes,
thus acting as silent reservoirs of transmission. To estimate
the risk of asymptomatic infections in various phases of malaria
elimination, we need a deeper understanding of the underlying
mechanisms favoring carriage over disease, which may involve
both pathogen and host factors. Here we review our current
knowledge on the determinants leading to Plasmodium falciparum
symptomless infections. Understanding the host-pathogen
interactions that are most likely to affect transitions between
malaria disease states could guide the development of tools to
tackle asymptomatic carriers in elimination settings.
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GALATAS, Beatriz, BASSAT ORELLANA, Quique and MAYOR APARICIO, Alfredo Gabriel. Malaria Parasites in the Asymptomatic: Looking for the Hay in
the Haystack. Trends in Parasitology. 2016. Vol. 32, num. 4, pags. 296-308. ISSN 1471-4922. [consulted: 7 of October of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/99260