Sporogonic cycles calculated using degree-days, as a basis for comparison of malaria parasite development in different eco-epidemiological settings in India

Abstract

In India, malaria transmission is prevalent across diverse geologies and ecologies. Temperature is one of the key determinants of malarial transmission, causing low endemicity in some areas than in others. Using a degree-day model, we estimated the maximum and minimum possible number of days needed to complete a malarial sporogonic cycle (SC), in addition to the possible number of SCs for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum under two different ecological settings with either low or high endemicity for malaria at different elevations. In Raikhalkhatta (in the Himalayan foothills) SCs were modeled as not occurring from November to February, whereas in Gandhonia village (forested hills), all but only one month were suitable for malarial SCs. A minimum of 6 days and maximum of 46 days were required for completion of one SC. Forested hilly areas were more suitable for malaria parasite development in terms of SCs (25 versus 21 for P. falciparum and 32 versus 27 for P. vivax). Degree-days also provided a climatic explanation for the current transmission of malaria at different elevations. The calculation of degree-days and possible SC has applications in the regional analysis of transmission dynamics and management of malaria in view of climate change.