Abstract
BackgroundPlasmodium vivax is the prevalent malarial species accounting for 70% of malaria burden in Pakistan; however, there is no baseline data on the circulating genotypes. Studies have shown that polymorphic loci of gene encoding antigens pvcsp and pvmsp1 can be used reliably for conducting molecular epidemiological studies. Therefore, this study aimed to bridge the existing knowledge gap on population structure on P. vivax from Pakistan using these two polymorphic genes.MethodsDuring the period January 2008 to May 2009, a total of 250 blood samples were collected from patients tested slide positive for P. vivax, at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, or its collection units located in Baluchistan and Sindh Province. Nested PCR/RFLP was performed, using pvcsp and pvmsp1 markers to detect the extent of genetic diversity in clinical isolates of P. vivax from southern Pakistan.ResultsA total of 227/250 (91%) isolates were included in the analysis while the remainder were excluded due to negative PCR outcome for P.vivax. Pvcsp analysis showed that both VK 210 (85.5%, 194/227) and VK 247 type (14.5%, 33/227) were found to be circulating in P. vivax isolates from southern Pakistan. A total of sixteen and eighty-seven genotypes of pvcsp and pvmsp-1 were detected respectively.ConclusionThis is the first report from southern Pakistan on characterization of P. vivax isolates confirming that extensively diverse pvcsp and pvmsp1 variants are present within this region. Results from this study provide valuable data on genetic diversity of P. vivax that will be helpful for further epidemiological studies.
Highlights
Plasmodium vivax is the prevalent malarial species accounting for 70% of malaria burden in Pakistan; there is no baseline data on the circulating genotypes
This study aims to provide baseline epidemiological data on circulating pvcsp and pvmsp 1 allelic variants from three malaria-endemic areas of southern Pakistan, i e, Karachi, Baluchistan and Sindh
Baseline demographic data A total of 250 patients with microscopy-confirmed P. vivax mono-infection were enrolled from Karachi, Baluchistan and rural areas of Sindh Province
Summary
Plasmodium vivax is the prevalent malarial species accounting for 70% of malaria burden in Pakistan; there is no baseline data on the circulating genotypes. Studies have shown that polymorphic loci of gene encoding antigens pvcsp and pvmsp can be used reliably for conducting molecular epidemiological studies. This study aimed to bridge the existing knowledge gap on population structure on P. vivax from Pakistan using these two polymorphic genes. In Pakistan it is the common malarial species, contributing to 70% of the malaria burden [2]. Paucity of baseline data exists on various aspects of P. vivax, such as population structure and drug resistance patterns. Molecular epidemiological studies on genetic diversity of P. vivax have been based mainly on single copy. Size polymorphisms in the respective blocks can be detected through PCR, allowing detection of genetically distinct msp 1 populations within a region [15]
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