Estimating the malaria transmission of Plasmodium vivax based on serodiagnosis

Jung-Yeon Kim,Byoung-Kuk Na,Youngjoo Sohn,Hyuck Kim,Tong-Soo Kim,Hyung-Hwan Kim,Yeon-Joo Kim,Hyeong-Woo Lee

doi:10.1186/1475-2875-11-257

Abstract

BackgroundPlasmodium vivax re-emerged in 1993 and has now become a major public health problem during the summer season in South Korea. The aim of this study was to interpret and understand the meaning of seroepidemiological studies for developing the best malaria control programme in South Korea.MethodsBlood samples were collected in Gimpo city, Paju city, Yeoncheon County, Cheorwon County and Goseong County of high risk area in South Korea. Microscopy was performed to identify patients infected with P. vivax. Antibody detection for P. vivax was performed using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT).ResultsA total of 1,574 blood samples was collected from participants in the study areas and evaluated against three parameters: IFAT positive rate, annual antibody positive index (AAPI), and annual parasite index (API). The IFAT positive rate was 7.24% (n = 114). Of the five study areas, Gimpo had the highest IFAT positive rate (13.68%) and AAPI (4.63). Yeongcheon had the highest API in 2005 (2.06) while Gimpo had the highest API in 2006 (5.00). No correlation was observed between any of the three parameters and study sites' distance from the demilitarized zone (DMZ).ConclusionsThese results showed that P. vivax antibody levels could provide useful information about the prevalence of malaria in endemic areas. Furthermore, AAPI results for each year showed a closer relationship to API the following year than the API of the same year and thus could be helpful in predicting malaria transmission risks.

Highlights

Plasmodium vivax re-emerged in 1993 and has become a major public health problem during the summer season in South Korea
The blood samples were transferred to the Korean National Institute of Health (KNIH), Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), where blood and sera were separated and stored at −20°C for future antibody analysis
5 km km jl indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) positive rate The criteria for a positive IFAT result were established in a previous experiment

Summary

Introduction

Plasmodium vivax re-emerged in 1993 and has become a major public health problem during the summer season in South Korea. The aim of this study was to interpret and understand the meaning of seroepidemiological studies for developing the best malaria control programme in South Korea. The disease is a major public health problem and has socio-economic ramifications for many temperate and tropical countries [1]. Malaria occurred throughout the country without recognizable geographical differences [2]. The incidence of vivax malaria decreased rapidly as a result of economic improvement following the Korean War, a Goyang, and Dongducheon near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea. Following the re-emergence of malaria, subsequent high indigenous transmission rates and population movement caused great concern because of the increased geographical expansion potential [10]

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