One key challenge for malaria elimination is the development of better surveillance tools. As the number of cases of malaria within a country drops, it becomes more difficult to find areas with remaining transmission. Most diagnostic and surveillance tools for malaria aim to detect the parasite itself, and this becomes less effective as malaria transmission decreases. To overcome this challenge, we are developing novel serological markers of recent exposure to malaria infections. When a person has malaria they produce antibodies, which last even after the parasites are gone. These antibodies can therefore be markers of both current and past malaria infections.
