title: Characteristics of Imported Malaria and Species of Plasmodium Involved in Shandong Province, China (2012-2014).
abstract: Malaria remains a serious public health problem in Shandong Province, China; therefore, it is important to explore the characteristics of the current malaria prevalence situation in the province. In this study, data of malaria cases reported in Shandong during 2012-2014 were analyzed, and Plasmodium species were confirmed by smear microscopy and nested-PCR. A total of 374 malaria cases were reported, 80.8% of which were reported from 6 prefectures. Of all cases, P. falciparum was dominant (81.3%), followed by P. vivax (11.8%); P. ovale and P. malariae together accounted for 6.4% of cases. Notably, for the first time since 2012, no indigenous case had been reported in Shandong Province, a situation that continued through 2014. Total 95.2% of cases were imported from Africa. The ratio of male/female was 92.5:1, and 96.8% of cases occurred in people 20-54 years of age. Farmers or laborers represented 77.5% of cases. No significant trends of monthly pattern were found in the reported cases. All patients were in good condition after treatment, except for 3 who died. These results indicate that imported malaria has increased significantly since 2012 in Shandong Province, especially for P. falciparum, and there is an emergence of species diversity.
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qing-Kuan
authors.initials: QK
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chang-Lei
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yong-Bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiang-Li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Gui-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Shandong Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Shandong Provincial Reference Laboratory for Malaria Diagnosis, Jining, Shandong Province 272033, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bing-Cheng
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa; D017677:Age Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010961:Plasmodium / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: China; Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium malariae; Plasmodium ovale; Plasmodium vivax; imported malaria; microscopy; nested-PCR