{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T21:25:21Z","timestamp":1789421121226,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]],"date-time":"2024-06-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1719446400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Genetic Research Center","award":["CIG001-2024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CIG001-2024"]}]},{"name":"Genetic Research Center","award":["PROMIS ID P0091_24_N6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PROMIS ID P0091_24_N6"]}]},{"name":"Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division (AFHSD), Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) Program","award":["CIG001-2024"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CIG001-2024"]}]},{"name":"Armed Forces Health Surveillance Division (AFHSD), Global Emerging Infections Surveillance (GEIS) Program","award":["PROMIS ID P0091_24_N6"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PROMIS ID P0091_24_N6"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Efforts on a global scale for combating malaria have achieved substantial progress over the past twenty years. Two Central American nations have accomplished their goal of eliminating malaria: El Salvador and Belize. Honduras has decreased the incidence of malaria and now reports fewer than 4000 malaria cases annually, aspiring to reach elimination by 2030. To accomplish this goal, it is essential to assess the existing strategies employed for malaria control and to address the task of incorporating novel intervention strategies to identify asymptomatic reservoirs. Methods: A survey for detecting asymptomatic cases was carried out in the community of Kaukira, in Gracias a Dios, Honduras, focusing on malaria transmission during 2023. Asymptomatic community members were recruited as participants, malaria screening was performed through a rapid diagnostic test in situ, and a blood sample was collected on filter paper. Highly sensitive molecular assays based on photo-induced electron transfer PCR (PET-PCR) were performed to detect the two species of Plasmodium circulating in Honduras: Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. In addition, the identification of the parasite species was verified by amplifying three genetic markers (Pvmsp3\u03b1, Pvmsp3\u00df, and Pfmsp1). Results: A total of 138 participants were recruited, mostly adult women. All individuals tested negative on the rapid diagnostic test. Positive results for malaria were detected by PET-PCR in 17 samples (12.3%). Most samples (12 out of 17) were amplified with a Ct value between 37 and 42, indicating very low parasitemias. Out of the 17 samples, 16 of them also showed amplification in the species assays. There were nine cases of P. falciparum infections and seven cases of P. vivax infections that were further confirmed by nested PCR (nPCR) of Pvmsp3 and Pfmsp1. Parasitemias ranged from 100 p\/\u03bcL to less than 0.25 p\/\u03bcL. One sample showed mixed infection. Conclusions: The existence of asymptomatic malaria reservoirs in Honduras can contribute to disease transmission and pose a challenge that may hinder elimination efforts, requiring public health authorities to modify surveillance strategies to identify the disease and treat this population accordingly.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens13070541","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]],"date-time":"2024-06-27T08:57:50Z","timestamp":1719478670000},"page":"541","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Asymptomatic Malaria Reservoirs in Honduras: A Challenge for Elimination"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Sharon","family":"Banegas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1188-2569","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Denis","family":"Escobar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alejandra","family":"Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marcela","family":"Moncada","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2177-9765","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gabriela","family":"Matamoros","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2159-5667","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hugo O.","family":"Valdivia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Parasitology, U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit South (NAMRU SOUTH), Lima 07006, Peru"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Allan","family":"Reyes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad de Entomolog\u00eda, Regi\u00f3n Sanitaria de Gracias a Dios, Secretar\u00eda de Salud de Honduras, Puerto Lempira 33101, Gracias a Dios, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9756-4520","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gustavo","family":"Fontecha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Aut\u00f3noma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2023). 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