BackgroundPeru is one of the Latin American countries with the highest malaria burden, mainly due to Plasmodium vivax infections. However, little is known about P. vivax transmission dynamics in the Peruvian Amazon, where most malaria cases occur. The genetic diversity and population structure of P. vivax isolates collected in different communities around Iquitos city, the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, was determined.MethodsPlasmodium vivax population structure was determined by multilocus genotyping with 16 microsatellites on 159 P. vivax infected blood samples (mono-infections) collected in four sites around Iquitos city. The population characteristics were assessed only in samples with monoclonal infections (n = 94), and the genetic diversity was determined by calculating the expected heterozygosity and allelic richness. Both linkage disequilibrium and the genetic differentiation (θ) were estimated.ResultsThe proportion of polyclonal infections varied substantially by site (11% - 70%), with the expected heterozygosity ranging between 0.44 and 0.69; no haplotypes were shared between the different populations. Linkage disequilibrium was present in all populations (IAS 0.14 - 0.61) but was higher in those with fewer polyclonal infections, suggesting inbreeding and a clonal population structure. Strong population differentiation (θ = 0.45) was found and the Bayesian inference cluster analysis identified six clusters based on distinctive allele frequencies.ConclusionThe P. vivax populations circulating in the Peruvian Amazon basin are genetically diverse, strongly differentiated and they have a low effective recombination rate. These results are in line with the low and clustered pattern of malaria transmission observed in the region around Iquitos city.

BackgroundThere is an increasing body of literature reporting treatment failure of the currently recommended radical treatment of Plasmodium vivax infections. As P. vivax is the main malaria species outside the African continent, emerging tolerance to its radical treatment regime could have major consequences in countries like Peru, where 80% of malaria cases are due to P. vivax. Here we describe the results of a 1-year longitudinal follow up of 51 confirmed P. vivax patients living around Iquitos, Peruvian Amazon, and treated according to the Peruvian national guidelines.MethodologyEach month a blood sample for microscopy and later genotyping was systematically collected. Recent exposure to infection was estimated by detecting antibodies against the P. vivax circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and all PCR confirmed P. vivax infections were genotyped with 16 polymorphic microsatellites.ResultsDuring a 1-year period, 84 recurrent infections, 22 positive also by microscopy, were identified, with a median survival time to first recurrent infection of 203 days. Most of them (71%) were asymptomatic; in 13 patients the infection persisted undetected by microscopy for several consecutive months. The genotype of mostly recurrent infections differed from that at day 0 while fewer differences were seen between the recurrent infections. The average expected heterozygosity was 0.56. There was strong linkage disequilibrium (IAs = 0.29, p<1.10−4) that remained also when analyzing only the unique haplotypes, suggesting common inbreeding.ConclusionIn Peru, the P. vivax recurrent infections were common and displayed a high turnover of parasite genotypes compared to day 0. Plasmodium vivax patients, even when treated according to the national guidelines, may still represent an important parasite reservoir that can maintain transmission. Any elimination effort should consider such a hidden reservoir.

BackgroundMulti-drug resistant falciparum malaria is an important health problem in the Peruvian Amazon region. We carried out a randomised open label clinical trial comparing mefloquine-artesunate, the current first line treatment in this region, with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine.Methods and FindingsBetween July 2003 and July 2005, 522 patients with P. falciparum uncomplicated malaria were recruited, randomized (260 with mefloquine-artesunate and 262 with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine), treated and followed up for 63 days. PCR-adjusted adequate clinical and parasitological response, estimated by Kaplan Meier survival and Per Protocol analysis, was extremely high for both drugs (99.6% for mefloquine-artesunate and 98.4% and for dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine) (RR: 0.99, 95%CI [0.97−1.01], Fisher Exact p = 0.21). All recrudescences were late parasitological failures. Overall, gametocytes were cleared faster in the mefloquine-artesunate group (28 vs 35 days) and new gametocytes tended to appear more frequently in patients treated with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (day 7: 8 (3.6%) vs 2 (0.9%), RR: 3.84, 95%CI [0.82–17.87]). Adverse events such as anxiety and insomnia were significantly more frequent in the mefloquine-artesunate group, both in adults and children.ConclusionDihydroartemisinin-piperaquine is as effective as mefloquine-artesunate in treating uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria but it is better tolerated and more affordable than mefloquine-artesunate (US$1.0 versus US$18.65 on the local market). Therefore, it should be considered as a potential candidate for the first line treatment of P.falciparum malaria in Peru.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00373607