Complex patterns of malaria epidemiology in the highlands region of Papua New Guinea.

A cross-sectional malaria survey of the Pabrabuk area in the Western Highlands Province found that all 4 human malaria species were present in a single village, with an overall parasite prevalence rate of 27%. Plasmodium falciparum was the most frequently detected infection (14%) followed by P. vivax (11%), P. malariae (5%) and P. ovale (3%). 10 of the 51 infections were mixed. Anopheles punctulatus was the most frequent vector species in the area, but both An. farauti no. 6 and An. karwari were also present in low numbers. This diversity in both parasite and vector populations indicates that complex malaria patterns are found in Papua New Guinea even at the moderate transmission levels found in low-lying inter-montane valleys.