Samples from Zungarococha, Peru were collected in 2005-6 as part of the Malaria Immunology and Genetics in the Amazon (MIGIA) project. Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum emerged near the Amazonian city of Iquitos in recent history in the 1990s. Since 2003, MIGIA has been following a cohort of approximately 2000 Peruvians longitudinally at least 6 times per year in active-household based visits, as well as seeing patients in clinics and hospitals at each febrile episode. A unique feature well-characterised in this study is the high proportion of asymptomatic infections given the low malaria transmission rate. Low transmission dynamics or host-parasite characteristics may explain the rapid development of immunity compared to observations in high transmission settings. This is a collaboration with Dr Branch at New York University School of Medicine, Dr Lastenia Ruiz at the Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana and Dr Moises Sihuincha at the Peruvian Ministry of Health.

Publications

• Genomic epidemiology of artemisinin resistant malaria
  MalariaGEN P. falciparum Community Project
  eLife, 2016; 5 e08714
  10.7554/eLife.08714