Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 5, 2026

A Simple Protocol for Platelet-mediated Clumping of Plasmodium falciparum-infected Erythrocytes in a Resource Poor Setting
07:27

A Simple Protocol for Platelet-mediated Clumping of Plasmodium falciparum-infected Erythrocytes in a Resource Poor Setting

Published on: May 16, 2013

Evidence for over-dispersion in the distribution of clinical malaria episodes in children

Tabitha Wanja Mwangi1, Gregory Fegan, Thomas Neil Williams

  • 1Kenya Medical Research Institute, Centre for Geographic Medicine Research, Coast/Wellcome Trust Collaborative Program, Kilifi, Kenya. tmwangi@kilifi.kemri-wellcome.org

Plos One
|May 22, 2008
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Some children experience more clinical malaria episodes than expected, indicating increased susceptibility. Identifying these children is crucial for understanding malaria patterns and improving interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Epidemiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Clinical malaria episodes in children are often assumed to follow a Poisson distribution.
  • Longitudinal studies indicate over-dispersion, with some children experiencing more malaria than expected.
  • Identifying children with increased malaria susceptibility is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify children with a higher susceptibility to clinical malaria.
  • To investigate potential reasons behind this increased susceptibility in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Poisson regression to analyze longitudinal data from 373 children under 10 years old.
  • Follow-up period ranged from 3 to 5 years (1998-2003).
  • Categorized children into 'more susceptible' and 'less susceptible' groups based on malaria episode frequency.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 21% of children were identified as 'more susceptible' to malaria.
  • This susceptible group accounted for 55% of all clinical malaria episodes despite contributing only 23% of follow-up time.
  • Children consistently negative for parasites were significantly less likely to be in the 'more susceptible' group (AOR = 0.09).

Conclusions:

  • Clinical malaria episodes in children follow a negative binomial distribution, not a Poisson distribution.
  • Using the absence of malaria as an endpoint may not effectively differentiate immune responses.
  • Future intervention and immunological studies should consider total clinical episodes per child as an endpoint alongside time to first episode.

More Related Videos

Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum10:22

Methods to Investigate the Regulatory Role of Small RNAs and Ribosomal Occupancy of Plasmodium falciparum

Published on: December 4, 2015

Protocol for Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Mosquitoes and Infection Phenotype Determination14:10

Protocol for Plasmodium falciparum Infections in Mosquitoes and Infection Phenotype Determination

Published on: July 4, 2007

Related Concept Videos

Malaria01:29

Malaria

Malaria pathogenesis in humans reflects a delicate interplay between parasite biology and host response. Clinical illness reflects a host’s immune response to the parasite’s asexual replication cycle, which is often asymptomatic in individuals with partial immunity. From the parasite's perspective, transmission between mosquito and human with minimal host pathology is evolutionarily advantageous. Among the six Plasmodium species infecting humans, P. falciparum and P. vivax dominate in global...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight, compared...
Distribution and Dispersion00:54

Distribution and Dispersion

Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment and with one another. An important aspect of ecology is understanding where species are found and how individuals are distributed within those areas. The geographic range of a species refers to the total area where its members are located, while dispersion describes the pattern of spacing of individuals within that range.Geographic Range and Dispersion PatternsWithin a species’ geographic range, individuals may be distributed...
Bias in Epidemiological Studies01:29

Bias in Epidemiological Studies

Biases can arise at various stages of research, from study design and data collection to analysis and interpretation. Recognizing and addressing these biases is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of epidemiological findings.Broadly speaking, biases in epidemiology fall into three main categories: selection bias, information bias, and confounding. A more detailed description of possible biases is:
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...