Can Mixed Parasite Infections Thwart Targeted Malaria Elimination Program in India?

Figure 3

Venn diagram showing differential incidences and amount of interactions among five different species of malaria parasites in India. The numbers indicated against the name of the Plasmodium species are actual numbers of monoinfections and those that are indicated at each interaction are the number of mixed infections. Each circle is represented by a single species of Plasmodium and the size of the circles represents the relative prevalence of that species in India as evidenced through PCR diagnosis. To be noted here is that P. falciparum infections have grossly surpassed P. vivax infections in India. P. knowlesi, restricted so far to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is principally found as mixed infection either with P. vivax or with P. falciparum. Likewise, P. malariae is principally found as coinfection, that too majorly with P. falciparum.