Abstract
BackgroundPlasmodium vivax malaria has historically been a major source of disease in Henan, China. In the 1970s, the morbidity of malaria was highest in the country. With support from the government and the efforts of healthcare personnel, the reported malaria cases have declined dramatically and a national elimination programme was launched in 2010. To achieve the goal, it is essential to study the diversity of autochthonous malaria and transmission of Plasmodium parasites, which will provide baseline data for disease control and management.MethodsThirty-two P. vivax isolates from Henan province were collected from 2008 to 2011, and circumsporozoite protein (csp) genes were analysed to estimate the genetic diversity of this parasite.ResultsThe assessment of csp sequences indicated that all the isolates were the VK210 type, however, none of them was identical to the VK210 strain. The sequences displayed variations in the central region, and eight sub-types were observed. Among the sub-types, HN7 was the most prevalent (37.5%), followed by HN3 (34.4%). A total of 653 repeat units were discovered in 32 Henan isolates. Nucleotide sequences were grouped in 13 unique repeat nucleotide sequence allotypes that coded for 7 different repeated amino acid allotypes. B (GNGAGGQAA) and D (GDRAAGQPA) were more frequent based on the results; they represented 53.9% (352/653) of the total. In comparison to the basic repeat units of VK210, more than 75% of the central repeat units had at least one non-synonymous nucleotide change.ConclusionsRecent P. vivax populations in Henan province showed some degree of genetic diversity in csp, with 8 sub-types among 32 samples. Meantime, the results also suggested its relative conserved parasite populations. This could provide interesting baseline data that allow identifying whether potential new cases differ from the parasites already circulating in the area.
Highlights
Plasmodium vivax malaria has historically been a major source of disease in Henan, China
A total of 32 blood samples were collected from patients in Henan province who were infected with P. vivax
The sequences displayed variations, and all of the sequences had an insertion of two repeat units (GNGAGGQAA/GDRADGQPA, GNGAGGQPA/ GDRAGQPA) at the beginning of the 3′ end, which is different from the classic VK210 strain
Summary
Plasmodium vivax malaria has historically been a major source of disease in Henan, China. It is essential to study the diversity of autochthonous malaria and transmission of Plasmodium parasites, which will provide baseline data for disease control and management. Malaria remains one of the most important communicable diseases in the world despite enormous control efforts over many decades. A total of 216 million cases of malaria occurred in 2016, which led to 445,000 deaths [1]. Plasmodium vivax is a human parasite that is distributed globally. 40% of the world’s population were threatened, resulting in 132– 391 million clinical infections annually [2]. It has been shown that P. vivax during pregnancy can be attributed to maternal anemia, low birth weight [2], and the risk of neonatal deaths [6]
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