Genetic diversity of plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-3alpha (Pvmsp-3alpha) gene in Jhapa District of Nepal

Madhav Adhikari, Samir Ranjitkar, Mette Leth Schousboe, Michael Alifrangis, Mallika Imwong, Dwij Raj Bhatta, Megha Raj Banjara

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

In Nepal, Plasmodium vivax accounts for approximately 80-90% of the malaria cases, but limited studies have been conducted on the genetic diversity of this parasite population. This study was carried out to determine the genetic diversity of P. vivax population sampled from subjects living in an endemic area of Jhapa District by analyzing the polymorphic merozoite surface protein-3alpha (Pvmsp-3alpha) gene by using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Three distinct genotypes were obtained from 96 samples; type A: 40 (71%), type B: 7 (13%), and type C: 9 (16%) which could be categorized into 13 allelic patterns: A1-A9, B1, B2, C1 and C2. These results indicated a high genetic diversity within the studied P. vivax population. As the transmission rate of malaria is low in Nepal, the diversity is most likely due to migration of people between the malaria endemic regions, either within the country or between Nepal and India. Similar prevalence of the three genotypes of Pvmsp-3alpha between the two countries likely supports the latter explanation.
Original languageEnglish
JournalSoutheast Asian Journal of Tropical Medicine and Public Health
Volume43
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)280-6
Number of pages7
ISSN0125-1562
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2012

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