Indigenous Plasmodium malariae infection in an endemic population at the Thai-Myanmar border

Plasmodium malariae; is a neglected malaria parasite. It has wide geographic distribution and, although often associated with mild malaria, is linked to a high burden of anemia and nephrotic syndromes. Here, we report a cohort study conducted in the Kanchanaburi Province of Thailand during May 2013-June 2014 in which; P. malariae; infection was detected. Of the 812 study participants, two were found to be infected with; P. malariae; . One had an infection that led to acute malaria, but the other was positive for; P. malariae; at multiple visits during the study and apparently had chronic asymptomatic infection. Such persistent infection may explain how; P. malariae; has been able to thrive at very low prevalence and represents a challenge for malaria elimination.