Falciparum malaria from coastal Tanzania and Zanzibar remains highly connected despite effective control efforts on the archipelago

摘要: Tanzania’s Zanzibar archipelago has made significant gains in malaria control over the last decade and is a target for elimination. Despite consistent implementation of effective tools since 2002, elimination not been achieved. Importation parasites from outside thought to be an important cause malaria’s persistence, but this paradigm studied using modern genetic tools. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used investigate impact importation, employing population analyses Plasmodium falciparum isolates both mainland Tanzania. Ancestry, levels diversity differentiation, patterns relatedness, selection between these two populations were assessed by leveraging recent advances deconvolution genomes polyclonal infections. Significant decreases sizes inferred that coincide with period decreasing transmission Identity descent analysis showed shared long segments their genomes, on order 5 cM, suggesting ancestry within 10 generations. Even limited sampling, identified are related at expected level half-siblings, importation. These findings suggest importation plays role incidence demonstrate value genomic approaches identifying corridors parasite movement island.