title: Key Knowledge Gaps for Plasmodium vivax Control and Elimination.
abstract: There is inadequate understanding of the biology, pathology, transmission, and control of Plasmodium vivax, the geographically most widespread cause of human malaria. During the last decades, study of this species was neglected, in part due to the erroneous belief that it is intrinsically benign. In addition, many technical challenges in culturing the parasite also hampered understanding its fundamental biology and molecular and cellular responses to chemotherapeutics. Research on vivax malaria needs to be substantially expanded over the next decade to accelerate its elimination and eradication. This article summarizes key knowledge gaps identified by researchers, national malaria control programs, and other stakeholders assembled by the World Health Organization to develop strategies for controlling and eliminating vivax malaria. The priorities presented in this article emerged in these technical discussions, and were adopted by expert consensus of the authors. All involved understood the priority placed upon pragmatism in this research agenda, that is, focus upon tools delivering better prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of P. vivax.
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.|Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça (CISM), Maputo, Mozambique.
authors.forename: Quique
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bassat
authors.affiliation: ISGlobal, Barcelona Centre for International Health Research (CRESIB), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Velarde
authors.affiliation: Population Health and Immunology Division, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Health Protection and Research Organisation, Kabul, Afghanistan.|London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Toby
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leslie
authors.affiliation: Independent Scholar, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: Chansuda
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wongsrichanalai
authors.affiliation: Centre for Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.|Eijkman-Oxford Clinical Research Unit, Jakarta, Indonesia.
authors.forename: J Kevin
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D009033:Culicidae; D019389:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6 / Q000378:metabolism; D014943:Global Health; D005955:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax; D011159:Population Surveillance; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D019389:Cytochrome P-450 CYP2D6