Abstract
IntroductionThe importance of Plasmodium vivax in malaria elimination is increasingly being recognized, yet little is known about its population size and population genetic structure in the South Pacific, an area that is the focus of intensified malaria control.MethodsWe have genotyped 13 microsatellite markers in 295 P. vivax isolates from four geographically distinct sites in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and one site from Solomon Islands, representing different transmission intensities.ResultsDiversity was very high with expected heterozygosity values ranging from 0.62 to 0.98 for the different markers. Effective population size was high (12′872 to 19′533 per site). In PNG population structuring was limited with moderate levels of genetic differentiation. F ST values (adjusted for high diversity of markers) were 0.14–0.15. Slightly higher levels were observed between PNG populations and Solomon Islands (F ST = 0.16).ConclusionsLow levels of population structure despite geographical barriers to transmission are in sharp contrast to results from regions of low P. vivax endemicity. Prior to intensification of malaria control programs in the study area, parasite diversity and effective population size remained high.
Highlights
The importance of Plasmodium vivax in malaria elimination is increasingly being recognized, yet little is known about its population size and population genetic structure in the South Pacific, an area that is the focus of intensified malaria control
P. vivax is prevalent throughout the South Pacific, including Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (PNG), and there are reports of severe outcome of disease, especially from PNG and West Papua [2,3,4]
The population genetic structure from these South Pacific sites is in sharp contrast to the one in Latin America, where P. vivax is the predominant malaria parasite, but endemicity is usually low [9,10,11,12]
Summary
The importance of Plasmodium vivax in malaria elimination is increasingly being recognized, yet little is known about its population size and population genetic structure in the South Pacific, an area that is the focus of intensified malaria control. Plasmodium vivax is the predominant malaria parasite in many of the countries undergoing concerted efforts to eliminate the disease, and presents a major challenge towards control and elimination of malaria [1]. Solomon Islands are among the 32 countries that are eliminating malaria, and the number of confirmed malaria cases decreased by roughly 50% from 2000 to 2010 [5]. PNG is controlling malaria and was the only country in the Western Pacific region with an increase in cases over the last decade [1,5]. Where transmission is already reduced to a low level, genotyping could help to track outbreaks and to identify the origin of imported malaria cases
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