Abstract
Increased population movement has increased the risk of reintroducing parasites to elimination areas and also dispersing drug-resistant parasites to new regions. Therefore, reliable and repeatable methods to trace back to the source of imported infections are essential. The recently developed 23-single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) barcode from organellar genomes of mitochondrion (mt) and apicoplast (apico) provides a valuable tool to locate the geographic origin of Plasmodium falciparum. This study aims to explore the feasibility of using the 23-SNP barcode for tracking P. falciparum by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing, while providing geographical haplotypes of isolates that originated from Central Africa. Based on 23-SNP barcode analysis, SNPs were found at seven loci; 27 isolates were confirmed to have originated in West Africa, and this study also showed four isolates from Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea, 3; Republic of Congo, 1) that originated in East Africa. This study provides the sequence data from Central Africa and fills 23-SNP barcode data gaps of sample origins.
Highlights
Malaria is a serious public health problem in tropical and subtropical areas, with an estimated 228 million cases of malaria occurring worldwide [(1), available online at: https://www.who.int/ publications/i/item/9789241565721]
The isolate CWX, with 23-single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) barcode identified in this study was consisted with the results analyzed with whole-genome sequencing [3]
With the establishment of sequence-based genome-wide polymorphisms in P. falciparum parasites, it is becoming feasible to design panels of SNP-based genotyping assays in tracing parasite geographic origin
Summary
Malaria is a serious public health problem in tropical and subtropical areas, with an estimated 228 million cases of malaria occurring worldwide [(1), available online at: https://www.who.int/ publications/i/item/9789241565721]. Among the five species of Plasmodium that infect humans, Plasmodium falciparum is the most dangerous one, causing high levels of mortality and morbidity worldwide, in sub-Saharan Africa. With today’s ease of transmissibility, the emergence and spread of artemisinin-resistant P. falciparum threatens malaria eradication [2,3,4]. Increased population movement has increased the risk of reintroducing parasites to elimination areas and dispersing drug-resistant parasites to new regions. To facilitate a better response for this new challenge and to understand it well, except drug sensitivity monitoring, the geographic origins of imported malaria need be tracked accurately and in good time. Reliable and repeatable methods to trace back to the source of imported infections are essential
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