David Huw Davies

David Huw Davies, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiology & Biophysics at the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on malaria immunology and epidemiology, particularly investigating asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections and their implications for malaria immunity dynamics.

The 2016 study in Mali examined chronic asymptomatic P. falciparum infections using PCR and rapid diagnostic testing to assess clinical malaria risk. Key findings demonstrated that these infections do not maintain immunity and that mass drug administration during dry seasons does not increase subsequent malaria risk.

Research involved longitudinal analysis of antibody kinetics, genetic tracking of parasite clones via microsatellite loci, and statistical modeling of infection outcomes. The work challenges existing paradigms about asymptomatic infections' role in immune maintenance, with implications for malaria control strategies.