Immuno-epidemiology of sub-clinical Plasmodium spp. infections in the Greater Mekong Sub-region

Asymptomatic, sub-clinical infections are a barrier to malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). To further understand the relationship between antibodies and sub-clinical infections within GMS, this thesis quantified antimalarial antibodies in a large multinational GMS study. This thesis demonstrates that: antibodies are markers of ultra-low-density sub-clinical infections, that antibodies are not associated with time to resolution of untreated sub-clinical infections, and that after eliminating these infections through mass drug administration, these antibodies are maintained in the population for at least 12 months. By further understanding these relationships we can inform future surveillance and elimination interventions in the region.