Short paper
Spatial variation of Anopheles-transmitted Wuchereria bancrofti and Plasmodium falciparum infection densities in Papua New Guinea
-
* Corresponding author: Neal D Alexander neal.alexander@lshtm.ac.uk
1 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, United Kingdom
2 Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, PO Box 378, Madang, MP 511, Papua New Guinea
3 University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
4 University of Plymouth, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom
5 Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4945, United States of America
6 Centre for International Health, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia
Filaria Journal 2003, 2:14 doi:10.1186/1475-2883-2-14
Published: 14 September 2003Abstract
The spatial variation of Wuchereria bancrofti and Plasmodium falciparum infection densities was measured in a rural area of Papua New Guinea where they share anopheline vectors. The spatial correlation of W. bancrofti was found to reduce by half over an estimated distance of 1.7 km, much smaller than the 50 km grid used by the World Health Organization rapid mapping method. For P. falciparum, negligible spatial correlation was found. After mass treatment with anti-filarial drugs, there was negligible correlation between the changes in the densities of the two parasites.