Malaria Infection and Gametocyte Carriage Rates in Preparation for Transmission Blocking Vaccine Trials in Bancoumana, Mali

The epidemiological characterization of transmission reservoirs is a critical step in preparation for interventional trials for malaria elimination/eradication. Using cluster sampling and households/compounds as units of sampling, we recruited and followed monthly, from June 2011 to June 2012, 250 volunteers 3 months to 50 years of age in Bancoumana, Mali. In July 2012, only participants 5-35 years of age ( N = 121) were reenrolled and followed for an additional year. Malaria infection prevalence was highest in October in both 2011 (21.5%, 50/233) and 2012 (38.2%, 26/68). During both years, malaria infection prevalence was highest in children 5-14 years of age ( P = 0.01 and P = 0.02, respectively). The gametocyte carriage prevalence was highest in November 2011 (7.6%, 17/225) and in October 2012 (16.2%, 11/68). Gametocyte carriage rates by age did not significantly differ in 2011 and 2012. In Bancoumana, the asexual and sexual parasite carriage rates are relatively high and highly seasonal. Seasonal variation and age differences in parasite and gametocyte carriage provide essential knowledge for the design of transmission blocking assay and vaccine studies in the field.