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Connecting Data, Researchers, and Stakeholders: Novel Ways NASA is Monitoring Vector Habitats Symposium

Connecting Data, Researchers, and Stakeholders: Novel Ways NASA is Monitoring Vector Habitats Symposium

Connecting Data, Researchers, and Stakeholders: Novel Ways NASA is Monitoring Vector Habitats Symposium

149 - New genotypes, invasive vectors, and human mobility: Changes in malaria epidemiology threaten control and elimination progress in Central America

Wednesday, March 25, 2026
2:15 PM - 2:30 PM PDT
Location: B116
Abstract: Extreme human movement from 2021 to 2024 through Panama’s Darien Gap contributed to an 800% increase in malaria cases over that period. Malaria research in the Darien is limited, but migration-malaria studies indicate that underlying drivers of transmission include the introduction of new genotypes, exposure of migrants or residents to native or invasive vectors, respectively, poor migrant living and working conditions, and limited healthcare access, among others. The goals of this study were to evaluate the genomic parasite population, characterize malaria vector distributions, and conduct a case-control study in indigenous and non-indigenous communities in the Darien. The study was conducted in Embera communities along the Membrillo, Tuquesa, and Chucunaque Rivers that are directly impacted by migration, as well as two control sites along the Pan-American Highway. While preliminary results confirm that integration into the migration economy by Panamanians increased transmission risk, the mechanisms we identified are of critical concern. Namely, we found: over 30% of malaria cases are recurrent (potentially relapses); three independent P. vivax clades that have not been previously identified in Central America are circulating in the Darien, suggesting an introduction or mixing of novel genotypes; Nyssorhynchus darlingi, an invasive and highly efficient vector, has established itself along one of the primary migration routes in the Darien; and (individual) parasite prevalence in vectors, which is 8.5% for Ny. darlingi and 6.8% for the native Ny. albimanus, is among the highest in the world. These findings occur concurrently with the discovery of autochthonous malaria transmission in the southern US in 2023, where the genotypes were introduced from Central and South America. Our results raise the question of whether migration-induced malaria risks (i.e., novel malaria genotypes, invasive Ny. darlingi) will contribute to the further expansion or re-introduction of malaria throughout Panama and Mesoamerica, even after mass migration has ended.