Project 1 The epidemiology of complex malaria in Southeast Asia

Project abstract Project 1 The epidemiology of complex malaria in Southeast Asia Malaria is a significant health concern in Southeast Asia. The main parasites in this region are Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum. At present, Southeast Asian countries are working to eliminate malaria; however, its epidemiology is rapidly changing, creating new obstacles. The current challenges include a shift from P. falciparum to P. vivax in many countries, the large social and ecological diversity of the remaining endemic areas, the change in land use that alters the disease transmission ecology, and a rapid increase in zoonotic cases due to P. knowlesi. To address these challenges, our study has four main objectives: 1. To understand the epidemiology of malaria in Southeast Asia by monitoring and understanding transmission dynamics, risk factors, and parasite genetics; 2. To identify seromarkers for P. knowlesi infection, enabling cost-effective serosurveys to track P. knowlesi transmission; 3. To identify new parasite antigens to improve point-of-care diagnosis, including rapid diagnostic tests for pan- malaria detection and P. knowlesi-specific detection; 4. To understand the parasitological factors that underly severe P. knowlesi malaria by examining parasite genes associated with virulence and in vitro phenotypes; The study will improve our understanding of the disease and the complexity of its transmission in Southeast Asia, provide better tools for point-of-care diagnosis and community surveillance, and elicit information-rich datasets to inform malaria-elimination strategies in Southeast Asia.