Tracing the origins of Plasmodium vivax resurgence after malaria elimination on Aneityum Island in Vanuatu

Five years after successful malaria elimination, Aneityum Island in Vanuatu experienced an outbreak of Plasmodium vivax of unknown origin in 2002. Epidemiological investigations revealed several potential sources of P. vivax. We aimed to identify the genetic origin of P. vivax responsible for the resurgence.

Multiple reintroductions of P. vivax after elimination highlight the high receptivity and vulnerability to malaria resurgence in island settings of Vanuatu, despite robust surveillance and high community compliance to control measures.

Five P. vivax microsatellite markers were genotyped using DNA extracted from archived blood samples. A total of 69 samples from four P. vivax populations was included: 29 from the outbreak in 2002, seven from Aneityum in 1999 and 2000, 18 from visitors to Aneityum in 2000, and 15 from nearby Tanna Island in 2002. A neighbour-joining phylogenetic tree was constructed to elucidate the relationships among P. vivax isolates. STRUCTURE and principal component analysis were used to assess patterns of genetic structure.

Here we show distinct genetic origins of P. vivax during the outbreak on Aneityum. While the origin of most P. vivax lineages found during the outbreak remains unidentified, limited genetic diversity among these lineages is consistent with a rapid expansion from a recent common ancestor. Contemporaneous P. vivax from neighboring Tanna and potential relapse of P. vivax acquired from other islands in 1999 and 2000 are also identified as minor contributors to the outbreak. Conclusions: Multiple reintroductions of P. vivax after elimination highlight the high receptivity and vulnerability to malaria resurgence in island settings of Vanuatu, despite robust surveillance and high community compliance to control measures.