1. Prevalence of gametocytes in different transmission settings and age groups.
Prevalence of gametocytes in different transmission settings and age groups. Gametocytes were detected by microscopy (thick blood films; screening of 100 fields at a magnification of ×1,000, using oil immersion) in cross-sectional surveys in areas of high and seasonal transmission intensity in Burkina Faso (336) and the Gambia (121), high perennial transmission in Tanzania (121), and low seasonal transmission intensity in Tanzania (413). Gametocytes are detected in a larger proportion of the population in settings of high endemicity, where gametocyte prevalence depends on age; in settings of low endemicity, gametocyte carriage is rare and more evenly distributed across age groups.
Teun Bousema, and Chris Drakeley Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 2011; doi: /CMR