Abstract
BackgroundPlasmodium vivax infection is known to be rare in West/Central Africa, the most accepted explanation being the lack of expression of erythroid Duffy antigen in the local human populations. Duffy negativity prevents the parasite to exploit the entry mechanism on the red blood cell surface. However, there are a growing number of reported vivax infections in Duffy-negative individuals. Data on P. vivax circulation in Cameroon are limited. The aim of the study was to evaluate the P. vivax presence, and its association with the Duffy genotype in West Cameroon.ResultsOverall, 484 blood samples were collected consecutively from febrile outpatients attending the Dschang’s Hospital (West Cameroon) during a 3-months period. Plasmodium vivax infection was detected by PCR in 5.6% (n = 27/484) of the cases, representing 38.6% (n = 27/70) of all Plasmodium infections detected. All P. vivax infected individuals showed a Duffy-negative genotype, and the frequency of Duffy-positive individuals in the whole tested population was 1.7%.ConclusionsThe results of this study confirm the circulation of P. vivax in Cameroon, as well as that the lack of expression of Duffy-antigen does not confer full protection against vivax malaria acquisition.
Highlights
Plasmodium vivax infection is known to be rare in West/Central Africa, the most accepted explanation being the lack of expression of erythroid Duffy antigen in the local human populations
Plasmodium vivax is responsible of 8% of estimated malaria cases worldwide, with three countries (Ethiopia, India and Pakistan) accounting for 80% of the cases [1]
Clinical manifestations of P. vivax infection are generally less severe than those related to P. falciparum infection, possibly because P. vivax infects mainly young red cells, which are numerically limited and appear to be less prone to cytoadherence or sequestration in microcirculation [2, 7, 8]
Summary
Plasmodium vivax infection is known to be rare in West/Central Africa, the most accepted explanation being the lack of expression of erythroid Duffy antigen in the local human populations. Plasmodium vivax is responsible of 8% of estimated malaria cases worldwide (about 50% when excluding sub-Saharan Africa), with three countries (Ethiopia, India and Pakistan) accounting for 80% of the cases [1]. Plasmodium vivax has a wider geographic distribution than P. falciparum, which is mostly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa [1]. Clinical manifestations of P. vivax infection are generally less severe than those related to P. falciparum infection, possibly because P. vivax infects mainly young red cells (reticulocytes), which are numerically limited (being
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