Mtakai Ngara

Despite effective control tools, malaria elimination remains elusive in tropical Africa. In endemic areas many infected individuals are asymptomatic and submicroscopic that go undiagnosed and untreated but still sustain transmission. Interactions among parasites, mosquitos, and humans are key for the control and maintenance of these low-density infection, however yet to understand the mechanisms behind. Naturally acquired immunity through repeated exposure to parasites can suppress parasite density and protect individuals from severe disease, but the mechanism of immunity acquisition in relation to T cell subsets remains unexplored. Parasites indirectly change the blood seeking behavior of mosquitos by inducing volatile compounds from infected humans, but the link with the parasite density is missing. Using a longitudinal cohort in Lake Victoria, Kenya, we aim to (1) characterize asymptomatic and submicroscopic infection together with the risk factors in eco-epidemiological context, (2) compare the transcriptomes of CD8+ T cells at the single cell level to identify factors that mediate disease severity, and (3) identify behavioral modifiers which explain the increased attractiveness of people carrying various density of parasite. With a focus on asymptomatic and submicroscopic infections, this study seeks to understand how residual transmission persists, with potential implications for development of novel tools and strategies for malaria elimination in tropical Africa.