AUTHOR=Stiffler Deborah M. , Oyieko Janet , Kifude Carolyne M. , Rockabrand David M. , Luckhart Shirley , Stewart V. Ann TITLE=HIV-1 Infection Is Associated With Increased Prevalence and Abundance of Plasmodium falciparum Gametocyte-Specific Transcripts in Asymptomatic Adults in Western Kenya JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology VOLUME=10 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2020.600106 DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2020.600106 ISSN=2235-2988 ABSTRACT=
As morbidity and mortality due to malaria continue to decline, the identification of individuals with a high likelihood of transmitting malaria is needed to further reduce the prevalence of malaria. In areas of holoendemic malaria transmission, asymptomatically infected adults may be infected with transmissible gametocytes. The impact of HIV-1 on gametocyte carriage is unknown, but co-infection may lead to an increase in gametocytemia. In this study, a panel of qPCR assays was used to quantify gametocyte stage-specific transcripts present in dried blood spots obtained from asymptomatic adults seeking voluntary HIV testing in Kombewa, Kenya. A total of 1,116