Atlantic Forest Malaria: A Review of More than 20 Years of Epidemiological Investigation

Author(s):Show less -

Buery, Julyana Cerqueira ^{[1, 2]} ; Alencar, Filomena Euridice Carvalho de ^[1] ; Duarte, Ana Maria Ribeiro de Castro ^{[3, 4]} ; Loss, Ana Carolina ^[5] ; Vicente, Creuza Rachel ^[1] ; Ferreira, Lucas Mendes ^[1] ; Fux, Blima ^[1] ; Medeiros, Marcia Melo ^[2] ; Cravo, Pedro ^[2] ; Arez, Ana Paula ^[2] ; Cerutti Junior, Crispim ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Unidade Med Trop, BR-29047105 Vitoria, ES - Brazil

^[2] Univ Nova Lisboa, Inst Higiene & Med Trop, Global Hlth & Trop Med, P-1349008 Lisbon - Portugal

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Med Trop Sao Paulo, BR-05403000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Superintendencia Controle Endemias Estado Sao Pau, BR-01027000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Inst Nacl Mata Atlantica, BR-29650000 Santa Teresa - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: MICROORGANISMS; v. 9, n. 1 JAN 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

In the south and southeast regions of Brazil, cases of malaria occur outside the endemic Amazon region near the Atlantic Forest in some coastal states, where Plasmodium vivax is the recognized parasite. Characteristics of cases and vectors, especially Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, raise the hypothesis of a zoonosis with simians as reservoirs. The present review aims to report on investigations of the disease over a 23-year period. Two main sources have provided epidemiological data: the behavior of Anopheles vectors and the genetic and immunological aspects of Plasmodium spp. obtained from humans, Alouatta simians, and Anopheles spp. mosquitoes. Anopheles (K.) cruzii is the most captured species in the forest canopy and is the recognized vector. The similarity between P. vivax and Plasmodium simium and that between Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium brasilianum shared between simian and human hosts and the involvement of the same vector in the transmission to both hosts suggest interspecies transfer of the parasites. Finally, recent evidence points to the presence of Plasmodium falciparum in a silent cycle, detected only by molecular methods in asymptomatic individuals and An. (K.) cruzii. In the context of malaria elimination, it is paramount to assemble data about transmission in such non-endemic low-incidence areas. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/10919-4 - Epidemiologic aspects of human and simian malaria in areas of Atlantic Forest in the vicinity of the City of São Paulo: study the Anopheles fauna and natural infection by Plasmodium sp. in Parelheiros and Serra da Cantareira
• Grantee: Ana Maria Ribeiro de Castro Duarte
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants