TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence of malaria parasite infections among U.S.-Bound congolese refugees with and without splenomegaly
AU - Mwesigwa, Moses
AU - Webster, Jessica L.
AU - Nsobya, Sam Lubwama
AU - Rowan, Alexander
AU - Basnet, Mukunda Singh
AU - Phares, Christina R.
AU - Weinberg, Michelle
AU - Klosovsky, Alexander
AU - Naoum, Marwan
AU - Rosenthal, Philip J.
AU - Stauffer, William M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2021 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - All U.S.-bound refugees from sub-Saharan Africa receive presumptive antimalarial treatment before departing for the United States. Among U.S.-bound Congolese refugees, breakthrough malaria cases and persistent splenomegaly have been reported. In response, an enhanced malaria diagnostic program was instituted. Here, we report the prevalence of plasmodial infection among 803 U.S.-bound Congolese refugees who received enhanced diagnostics. Infections by either rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or PCR were detected in 187 (23%) refugees, with 78 (10%) by RDT only, 35 (4%) by PCR only, and 74 (9%) by both. Infections identified by PCR included 103 monoinfections (87 Plasmodium falciparum, eight Plasmodium ovale, seven Plasmodium vivax, and one Plasmodium malariae) and six mixed infections. Splenomegaly was associated with malaria detectable by RDT (odds ratio: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.0–3.0), but not by PCR. Splenomegaly was not strongly associated with parasitemia, indicating that active malaria parasitemia is not necessary for splenomegaly.
AB - All U.S.-bound refugees from sub-Saharan Africa receive presumptive antimalarial treatment before departing for the United States. Among U.S.-bound Congolese refugees, breakthrough malaria cases and persistent splenomegaly have been reported. In response, an enhanced malaria diagnostic program was instituted. Here, we report the prevalence of plasmodial infection among 803 U.S.-bound Congolese refugees who received enhanced diagnostics. Infections by either rapid diagnostic test (RDT) or PCR were detected in 187 (23%) refugees, with 78 (10%) by RDT only, 35 (4%) by PCR only, and 74 (9%) by both. Infections identified by PCR included 103 monoinfections (87 Plasmodium falciparum, eight Plasmodium ovale, seven Plasmodium vivax, and one Plasmodium malariae) and six mixed infections. Splenomegaly was associated with malaria detectable by RDT (odds ratio: 1.8, 95% CI: 1.0–3.0), but not by PCR. Splenomegaly was not strongly associated with parasitemia, indicating that active malaria parasitemia is not necessary for splenomegaly.
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U2 - 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0924
DO - 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0924
M3 - Article
C2 - 33534754
AN - SCOPUS:85103158897
SN - 0002-9637
VL - 104
SP - 996
EP - 999
JO - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
JF - American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
IS - 3
ER -
