The Acre Project: the epidemiology of malaria and arthropod-borne virus infections in a rural Amazonian population

Cad Saude Publica. 2006 Jun;22(6):1325-34. doi: 10.1590/s0102-311x2006000600021. Epub 2006 May 29.

Abstract

The authors describe the baseline malaria prevalence and arbovirus seroprevalence among 467 subjects in an ongoing cohort study in rural Amazonia. Most subjects (72.2%) reported one or more previous episodes of malaria, and 15.6% had been hospitalized for malaria, but only 3.6% of individuals five years or older had malaria parasites detected by microscopy (10 with Plasmodium vivax and 4 with P. falciparum). Antibodies to Alphavirus, Orthobunyavirus, and/or Flavivirus were detected by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) in 42.6% of subjects aged five years or older, with a higher seropositivity rate among males (49.2%) than females (36.2%). Since 98.9% of subjects had been immunized for yellow fever, the presence of cross-reactive antibodies to dengue and other Flaviviruses cannot be ruled out, but at least 12 subjects (3.3%) with IgM antibodies to dengue virus detected by ELISA had a putative recent exposure to this virus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood
  • Arbovirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Arbovirus Infections / immunology
  • Arboviruses / immunology
  • Brazil / epidemiology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cross Reactions
  • Dengue Virus / immunology
  • Ecosystem
  • Endemic Diseases*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Infant
  • Malaria / epidemiology*
  • Malaria / immunology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Rural Population
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Sex Factors

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G