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1165 Prevalence of gene polymorphisms in symptomatic and asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infected individuals from the Southwest region of Cameroon

Location: Cameroon (CM).

Parasite

The study was conducted in localities on the eastern slope of Mt Cameroon, with varying malaria transmission profiles and geographic features. The terrain rises from the Atlantic ocean at the Gulf of Guinea, gradually increasing from Ombe through Mutengene to 800– 1,200 m in Buea. The area is characterized by a forested equatorial climate, modified by the ocean and mountain, comprising two seasons: a short dry season (November–March) and a long rainy season (March-November). Ambient temperatures vary from 18 °C in August to 35 °C in March while the relative humidity (75–80 %), average annual rainfall (2625 mm) and precipitation (2,000–10,000 mm) are relatively high. Malaria transmission is intense and perennial in the area, with parasitaemia higher in the rainy seasons and at lower altitude. Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for most of the malaria infections, with a prevalence of up to 85 % reported recently in asymptomatic adults while Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium malaria accounted for 14.9 % and 5.8 % infections respectively. Anopheles gambiae is the dominant, most aggressive and most active of the three malaria vectors (Anopheles gambiae, Anopheles funestus and Anopheles nili), with infection rates and overall Entomological Inoculation Rates (EIR) as high as 287 infective bites/person/year and 3.93 infective bites/person/night respectively.Data from this study complements a previous study aimed at characterising the parasite populations in the area.