Multiple-clone Infections Research Articles

Multiple-clone infections of Mpox: Insights from a single primary lesion

ObjectivesThe 2022 Mpox epidemic transitioned to human-to-human transmission through primary lesions, showing a higher rate of genomic mutations than typical for a DNA virus. While Orthopoxviruses are traditionally considered to cause monoclonal infections in a single patient, we explored whether Mpox virus (MPXV) exhibits genomic plasticity in primary lesions. MethodsFive clones, A3, A4, B3, C2, and C5, were isolated from a primary skin lesion of an adult male patient with Mpox and human immunodeficiency virus on antiretroviral therapy, who was not immunocompromised. Whole-genome sequencing was performed to analyze single nucleotide variations in each clone. The tissue culture infectious dose 50 (TCID50) and cytopathic effects (CPE) were measured at one, three, and six days post-infection as in vitro virus phenotypes. ResultsClones A4, C2, and C5 had dominantly identical sequences, while minor clones A3 and B3 had probably three and certainly one additional unique mutation, respectively. Four mutations in A3 and B3 were located in the viral open reading frames, with A3 causing amino acid substitutions at two sites in B21R and B3 resulting in one amino acid change in I6L. Although there were no significant differences in TCID50 levels among the clones, B3 showed a greater CPE than the others at three and six days post-infection. ConclusionsThe coexistence of multiple clones with distinct genotypes and viral characteristics within a primary lesion suggests genomic plasticity in MPXV, indicating that genomic diversity may arise early in infection.

Genetic complexity alters drug susceptibility of asexual and gametocyte stages of Plasmodium falciparum to antimalarial candidates.

Malaria elimination requires interventions able to target both the asexual blood stage (ABS) parasites and transmissible gametocyte stages of Plasmodium falciparum. Lead antimalarial candidates are evaluated against clinical isolates to address key concerns regarding efficacy and to confirm that the current, circulating parasites from endemic regions lack resistance against these candidates. While this has largely been performed on ABS parasites, limited data are available on the transmission-blocking efficacy of compounds with multistage activity. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of lead antimalarial candidates against both ABS parasites and late-stage gametocytes side-by-side, against clinical P. falciparum isolates from southern Africa. We additionally correlated drug efficacy to the genetic diversity of the clinical isolates as determined with a panel of well-characterized, genome-spanning microsatellite markers. Our data indicate varying sensitivities of the isolates to key antimalarial candidates, both for ABS parasites and gametocyte stages. While ABS parasites were efficiently killed, irrespective of genetic complexity, antimalarial candidates lost some gametocytocidal efficacy when the gametocytes originated from genetically complex, multiple-clone infections. This suggests a fitness benefit to multiclone isolates to sustain transmission and reduce drug susceptibility. In conclusion, this is the first study to investigate the efficacy of antimalarial candidates on both ABS parasites and gametocytes from P. falciparum clinical isolates where the influence of parasite genetic complexity is highlighted, ultimately aiding the malaria elimination agenda.

Evaluation of Plasmodium vivax isolates in Thailand using polymorphic markers Plasmodium merozoite surface protein (PvMSP) 1 and PvMSP3.

Malaria is a significant public health problem in several tropical countries including Thailand. The prevalence of Plasmodium vivax infection has been increasing in the past decades. Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein (PvMSP) gene encodes a malaria vaccine candidate antigen. Its polymorphic nature leads to antigenic variation, the barrier for vaccine development, drug resistance, and potential for multiple-clone infections within the malaria patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity of PvMSP1 and PvMSP3 gene in P. vivax populations in Thailand. A total of 100 P. vivax isolates collected from the western (Kanchanaburi and Tak Provinces) and southern (Ranong Provinces) regions along the Thai-Myanmar border were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Analysis of the F1, F2, and F3 regions of PvMSP1 revealed 5, 2, and 3 allelic variants, respectively. Three major types of PvMSP3-α and two major types of PvMSP3-β were identified based on the PCR product sizes. After digestion with restriction enzymes, 29, 25, 26, and 18 patterns were distinguished by RFLP for PvMSP1 (F2, Alu I), PvMSP1 (F2, Mnl I), PvMSP3-α, and PvMSP3-β, respectively. Combination of each family variant (PvMSP1 and PvMSP3) resulted in high genetic polymorphism of P. vivax population. Additionally, using PvMSP1 polymorphic marker revealed a significant association between multiple-genotype infections and P. vivax parasitemia. The results strongly supported that P. vivax populations in the endemic areas along the Thai-Myanmar border are highly diverse.

Multiplicity of Infection Is a Poor Predictor of Village-Level Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum Population Prevalence in the Southwest Pacific.

Across 8101 individuals in 46 villages, the proportion of Plasmodium spp. multiple clone infections (0%–53.8%) did not reflect prevalence by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR; 1.9%–38.4%), except for P. vivax in Solomon Islands (P < .001). Thus this parameter was not informative to identify transmission foci. In contrast, prevalence by microscopy and qPCR correlated well.

Determination of multiple-clone infection at allelic dimorphism site of Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-1 in the Republic of Korea by pyrosequencing assay

Allelic diversity leading to multiple gene polymorphisms of vivax malaria parasites has been shown to greatly contribute to antigenic variation and drug resistance, increasing the potential for multiple-clone infections within the host. Therefore, to identify multiple-clone infections and the predominant haplotype of Plasmodium vivax in a South Korean population, P. vivax merozoite surface protein-1 (PvMSP-1) was analyzed by pyrosequencing. Pyrosequencing of 156 vivax malaria-infected samples yielded 97 (62.18%) output pyrograms showing two main types of peak patterns of the dimorphic allele for threonine and alanine (T1476A). Most of the samples evaluated (88.66%) carried multiple-clone infections (wild- and mutant-types), whereas 11.34% of the same population carried only the mutant-type (1476A). In addition, each allele showed a high frequency of guanine (G) base substitution at both the first and third positions (86.07% and 81.13%, respectively) of the nucleotide combinations. Pyrosequencing of the PvMSP-1 42-kDa fragment revealed a heterogeneous parasite population, with the mutant-type dominant compared to the wild-type. Understanding the genetic diversity and multiple-clone infection rates may lead to improvements in vivax malaria prevention and strategic control plans. Further studies are needed to improve the efficacy of the pyrosequencing assay with large sample sizes and additional nucleotide positions.

Lack of Geospatial Population Structure Yet Significant Linkage Disequilibrium in the Reservoir of Plasmodium falciparum in Bongo District, Ghana.

Malaria control in West Africa is impeded by the large reservoir of chronic asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections in the human population. This study aimed to assess the extent of diversity in the P. falciparum reservoir in Bongo District (BD), Ghana, at the end of the dry season, the lowest point in malaria transmission over the course of the year. Analysis of the variation in 12 microsatellite loci was completed for 200 P. falciparum isolates collected from a cross-sectional survey of residents of all ages from two catchment areas in BD. Analysis of the multilocus haplotypes showed high levels of genetic diversity (He = 0.74), no population differentiation yet significant linkage disequilibrium (LD) (ISA = 0.0127, P = 0.006) in BD. Multilocus LD was significant between and within catchment areas even though every haplotype in the population was unique and the majority of individuals (84.0%) harbored multiple-clone infections. The linkage structure among multilocus haplotypes was not associated with sampling location. These data provide the first study with deep sampling of the P. falciparum reservoir in an area of seasonal malaria transmission in West Africa. The co-occurrence of high multiplicity of infection (multiple-clone infections) with significant multilocus LD is surprising given the likelihood of high recombination rates in BD. The results suggest that the linkage structure among multilocus haplotypes has not been shaped by geographic separation of parasite populations. Furthermore, the observed LD levels provide a baseline population genetic metric with putatively neutral markers to evaluate the effects of seasonality and malaria control efforts in BD.

Persistence of Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia after artemisinin combination therapy: evidence from a randomized trial in Uganda.

Artemisinin resistance is rapidly spreading in Southeast Asia. The efficacy of artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT) continues to be excellent across Africa. We performed parasite transcriptional profiling and genotyping on samples from an antimalarial treatment trial in Uganda. We used qRT-PCR and genotyping to characterize residual circulating parasite populations after treatment with either ACT or ACT-primaquine. Transcripts suggestive of circulating ring stage parasites were present after treatment at a prevalence of >25% until at least 14 days post initiation of treatment. Greater than 98% of all ring stage parasites were cleared within the first 3 days, but subsequently persisted at low concentrations until day 14 after treatment. Genotyping demonstrated a significant decrease in multiplicity of infection within the first 2 days in both ACT and ACT-primaquine arms. However, multiple clone infections persisted until day 14 post treatment. Our data suggest the presence of genetically diverse persisting parasite populations after ACT treatment. Although we did not demonstrate clinical treatment failures after ACT and the viability and transmissibility of persisting ring stage parasites remain to be shown, these findings are of relevance for the interpretation of parasite clearance transmission dynamics and for monitoring drug effects in Plasmodium falciparum parasites.

Disagreement in genotyping results of drug resistance alleles of the Plasmodium falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (Pfdhfr) gene by allele-specific PCR (ASPCR) assays and Sanger sequencing.

The rapid spread of antimalarial drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum over the past few decades has necessitated intensive monitoring of such resistance for an effective malaria control strategy. P. falciparum dihydropteroate synthase (Pfdhps) and P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (Pfdhfr) genes act as molecular markers for resistance against the antimalarial drugs sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine, respectively. Resistance to pyrimethamine which is used as a partner drug in artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is associated with several mutations in the Pfdhfr gene, namely A16V, N51I, C59R, S108N/T and I164L. Therefore, routine monitoring of Pfdhfr-drug-resistant alleles in a population may help in effective drug resistance management. Allele-specific PCR (ASPCR) is one of the commonly used methods for molecular genotyping of these alleles. In this study, we genotyped 55 samples of P. falciparum for allele discrimination at four codons of Pfdhfr (N51, C59, S108 and I164) by ASPCR using published methods and by Sanger's DNA sequencing method. We found that the ASPCR identified a significantly higher number of mutant alleles as compared to the DNA sequencing method. Such discrepancies arise due to the non-specificity of some of the allele-specific primer sets and due to the lack of sensitivity of Sanger's DNA sequencing method to detect minor alleles present in multiple clone infections. This study reveals the need of a highly specific and sensitive method for genotyping and detecting minor drug-resistant alleles present in multiple clonal infections.

Multiple-clone infections of Plasmodium vivax: definition of a panel of markers for molecular epidemiology.

BackgroundPlasmodium vivax infections commonly contain multiple genetically distinct parasite clones. The detection of multiple-clone infections depends on several factors, such as the accuracy of the genotyping method, and the type and number of the molecular markers analysed. Characterizing the multiplicity of infection has broad implications that range from population genetic studies of the parasite to malaria treatment and control. This study compared and evaluated the efficiency of neutral and non-neutral markers that are widely used in studies of molecular epidemiology to detect the multiplicity of P. vivax infection.MethodsThe performance of six markers was evaluated using 11 mixtures of DNA with well-defined proportions of two different parasite genotypes for each marker. These mixtures were generated by mixing cloned PCR products or patient-derived genomic DNA. In addition, 51 samples of natural infections from the Brazil were genotyped for all markers. The PCR-capillary electrophoresis-based method was used to permit direct comparisons among the markers. The criteria for differentiating minor peaks from artifacts were also evaluated.ResultsThe analysis of DNA mixtures showed that the tandem repeat MN21 and the polymorphic blocks 2 (msp1B2) and 10 (msp1B10) of merozoite surface protein-1 allowed for the estimation of the expected ratio of both alleles in the majority of preparations. Nevertheless, msp1B2 was not able to detect the majority of multiple-clone infections in field samples; it identified only 6 % of these infections. The merozoite surface protein-3 alpha and microsatellites (PvMS6 and PvMS7) did not accurately estimate the relative clonal proportions in artificial mixtures, but the microsatellites performed well in detecting natural multiple-clone infections. Notably, the use of a less stringent criterion to score rare alleles significantly increased the sensitivity of the detection of multi-clonal infections.ConclusionsDepending on the type of marker used, a considerable amplification bias was observed, which may have serious implications for the characterization of the complexity of a P. vivax infection. Based on the performance of markers in artificial mixtures of DNA and natural infections, a minimum panel of four genetic markers (PvMS6, PvMS7, MN21, and msp1B10) was defined, and these markers are highly informative regarding the genetic variability of P. vivax populations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12936-015-0846-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax over time and space: a community-based study in rural Amazonia.

To examine how community-level genetic diversity of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax varies across time and space, we investigated the dynamics of parasite polymorphisms during the early phases of occupation of a frontier settlement in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Microsatellite characterization of 84 isolates of P. vivax sampled over 3 years revealed a moderate-to-high genetic diversity (mean expected heterozygosity, 0.699), with a large proportion (78.5%) of multiple-clone infections (MCI), but also a strong multilocus linkage disequilibrium (LD) consistent with rare outcrossing. Little temporal and no spatial clustering was observed in the distribution of parasite haplotypes. A single microsatellite haplotype was shared by 3 parasites collected during an outbreak; all other 81 haplotypes were recovered only once. The lowest parasite diversity, with the smallest proportion of MCI and the strongest LD, was observed at the time of the outbreak, providing a clear example of epidemic population structure in a human pathogen. Population genetic parameters returned to pre-outbreak values during last 2 years of study, despite the concomitant decline in malaria incidence. We suggest that parasite genotyping can be useful for tracking the spread of new parasite strains associated with outbreaks in areas approaching malaria elimination.

The Sri Lankan paradox: high genetic diversity in Plasmodium vivax populations despite decreasing levels of malaria transmission

Here we examined whether the recent dramatic decline in malaria transmission in Sri Lanka led to a major bottleneck in the local Plasmodium vivax population, with a substantial decrease in the effective population size. To this end, we typed 14 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers in 185 P. vivax patient isolates collected from 13 districts in Sri Lanka over a period of 5 years (2003-2007). Overall, we found a high degree of polymorphism, with 184 unique haplotypes (12-46 alleles per locus) and average genetic diversity (expected heterozygosity) of 0·8744. Almost 69% (n = 127) isolates had multiple-clone infections (MCI). Significant spatial and temporal differentiation (F ST = 0·04-0·25; P⩽0·0009) between populations was observed. The effective population size was relatively high but showed a decline from 2003-4 to 2006-7 periods (estimated as 45 661 to 22 896 or 10 513 to 7057, depending on the underlying model used). We used three approaches - namely, mode-shift in allele frequency distribution, detection of heterozygote excess and the M-ratio statistics - to test for evidence of a recent population bottleneck but only the low values of M-ratio statistics (ranging between 0·15-0·33, mean 0·26) were suggestive of such a bottleneck. The persistence of high genetic diversity and high proportion of MCI, with little change in effective population size, despite the collapse in demographic population size of P. vivax in Sri Lanka indicates the importance of maintaining stringent control and surveillance measures to prevent resurgence.

Evolution of Genetic Polymorphisms of Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein (PfMSP) in Thailand

Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a major public health problem in Thailand due to the emergence of multidrug resistance. The understanding of genetic diversity of malaria parasites is essential for developing effective drugs and vaccines. The genetic diversity of the merozoite surface protein-1 (PfMSP-1) and merozoite surface protein-2 (PfMSP-2) genes was investigated in a total of 145 P. falciparum isolates collected from Mae Sot District, Tak Province, Thailand during 3 different periods (1997-1999, 2005-2007, and 2009-2010). Analysis of genetic polymorphisms was performed to track the evolution of genetic change of P. falciparum using PCR. Both individual genes and their combination patterns showed marked genetic diversity during the 3 study periods. The results strongly support that P. falciparum isolates in Thailand are markedly diverse and patterns changed with time. These 2 polymorphic genes could be used as molecular markers to detect multiple clone infections and differentiate recrudescence from reinfection in P. falciparum isolates in Thailand.

Higher microsatellite diversity in Plasmodium vivax than in sympatric Plasmodium falciparum populations in Pursat, Western Cambodia

Previous microsatellite analyses of sympatric populations of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum in Brazil revealed higher diversity in the former species. However, it remains unclear whether regional species-specific differences in prevalence and transmission levels might account for these findings. Here, we examine sympatric populations of P. vivax (n=87) and P. falciparum (n=164) parasites from Pursat province, Western Cambodia, where both species are similarly prevalent. Using 10 genome-wide microsatellites for P. falciparum and 13 for P. vivax, we found that the P. vivax population was more diverse than the sympatric P. falciparum population (average virtual heterozygosity [HE], 0.87 vs. 0.66, P=0.003), with more multiple-clone infections (89.6% vs. 47.6%) and larger mean number of alleles per marker (16.2 vs. 11.1, P=0.07). Both populations showed significant multi-locus linkage disequilibrium suggestive of a predominantly clonal mode of parasite reproduction. The higher microsatellite diversity found in P. vivax isolates, compared to sympatric P. falciparum isolates, does not necessarily result from local differences in transmission level and may reflect differences in population history between species or increased mutation rates in P. vivax.

Genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum infections in mild and severe malaria of children from Kampala, Uganda

Diversity in parasite virulence is one of the factors that contribute to the clinical outcome of malaria infections. The association between the severity of Plasmodium falciparum malaria and the number of distinct parasite populations infecting the host (multiplicity of infection) or polymorphism within any of the specific antigen genes was investigated. The study included 164 children presenting with mild and severe malaria from central Uganda where malaria is meso-endemic. The polymorphic regions of the circumsporozoite protein (csp), merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 (msp1 and msp2), and glutamate-rich protein (glurp) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction methods and fragment analysis by gel electrophoresis. In a subset of samples fragment analysis was also performed by fluorescent PCR genotyping followed by capillary electrophoresis. The multiplicity of infection (MOI), determined as the highest number of alleles detected within any of the four genetic loci, was significantly higher in severe than in mild malaria cases (mean 3.7 and 3.0, respectively, P = 0.002). No particular genotype or allelic family of msp1 or msp2 was associated with severity of malaria, and nor did the genotyping method reveal any significant difference in MOI when only assessed by msp2 genotyping. Severity of malaria was not linked to the predominance of any particular msp1 or msp2 allelic types, independent of methods used for genotyping. Monitoring the dynamics of multiple clone infections in relation to disease outcome, host immune status and genetic factors will provide more insight into parasite virulence mechanisms.

Long term persistence of clonal malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum lineages in the Colombian Pacific region

BackgroundResistance to chloroquine and antifolate drugs has evolved independently in South America, suggesting that genotype - phenotype studies aimed at understanding the genetic basis of resistance to these and other drugs should be conducted in this continent. This research was conducted to better understand the population structure of Colombian Plasmodium falciparum in preparation for such studies.ResultsA set of 384 SNPs were genotyped in blood spot DNA samples from 447 P. falciparum infected subjects collected over a ten year period from four provinces of the Colombian Pacific coast to evaluate clonality, population structure and linkage disequilibrium (LD). Most infections (81%) contained a single predominant clone. These clustered into 136 multilocus genotypes (MLGs), with 32% of MLGs recovered from multiple (2 – 28) independent subjects. We observed extremely low genotypic richness (R = 0.42) and long persistence of MLGs through time (median = 537 days, range = 1 – 2,997 days). There was a high probability (>5%) of sampling parasites from the same MLG in different subjects within 28 days, suggesting caution is needed when using genotyping methods to assess treatment success in clinical drug trials. Panmixia was rejected as four well differentiated subpopulations (FST = 0.084 - 0.279) were identified. These occurred sympatrically but varied in frequency within the four provinces. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) decayed more rapidly (r2 = 0.17 for markers <10 kb apart) than observed previously in South American samples.ConclusionsWe conclude that Colombian populations have several advantages for association studies, because multiple clone infections are uncommon and LD decays over the scale of one or a few genes. However, the extensive population structure and low genotype richness will need to be accounted for when designing and analyzing association studies.

Multiple-Clone Activation of Hypnozoites Is the Leading Cause of Relapse in Plasmodium vivax Infection

Background Plasmodium vivax infection is characterized by a dormant hepatic stage, the hypnozoite that is activated at varying periods of time after clearance of the primary acute blood-stage, resulting in relapse. Differentiation between treatment failure and new infections requires characterization of initial infections, relapses, and clone multiplicity in vivax malaria infections.Methodology/Principal FindingsParasite DNA obtained from primary/relapse paired blood samples of 30 patients with P. vivax infection in Brazil was analyzed using 10 molecular markers (8 microsatellites and MSP-1 blocks 2 and 10). Cloning of PCR products and genotyping was used to identify low-frequency clones of parasites. We demonstrated a high frequency of multiple-clone infections in both primary and relapse infections. Few alleles were identified per locus, but the combination of these alleles produced many haplotypes. Consequently, the majority of parasites involved in relapse showed haplotypes that were distinct from those of primary infections. Plasmodium vivax relapse was characterized by temporal variations in the predominant parasite clones.Conclusions/SignificanceThe high rate of low frequency alleles observed in both primary and relapse infections, along with temporal variation in the predominant alleles, might be the source of reported heterologous hypnozoite activation. Our findings complicate the concept of heterologous activation, suggesting the involvement of undetermined mechanisms based on host or environmental factors in the simultaneous activation of multiple clones of hypnozoites.

Genetic variability of Plasmodium vivax from primary–relapses paired samples

Background Human malaria is caused by protozoa from the genus Plasmodium. Approximately 40% of world population is at risk of infection. Plasmodium vivax is the most worldwide distributed human Plasmodium species. In Brazil, more than 300,000 cases of the disease were recorded in 2010 and 86% were caused by Plasmodium vivax. P. vivax infections are characterized by hepatic dormant forms, the hypnozoites and those are activated in varying intervals of time resulting in the typical relapses. Little is known about the mechanism of latency and activation of hypnozoites associated to relapses. The scarcity of genetic markers for P. vivax has hampered the analysis of important parasite phenotypes, such as patterns of relapse. In this context, the aim of this work was to study the variability of the parasites of primary infections and relapses from the same patients. Materials and methods Primary-Relapse paired samples of 30 patients were genotyped using 10 molecular markers (8 microsatellites and blocks 2 and 10 of MSP-1) by capillary electrophoresis on an automated DNA sequencer. Moreover, the presence of multiple infections was confirmed by cloning of amplicons and genotyping of different colonies (mean of 10 colonies per PCR product). Results The majority of parasites showed distinct haplotypes in relapses compared to primary infection. It was demonstrated a high frequency of multiple-clone infections both in primary infection and relapse. A variation of predominant alleles among distinct markers in different malaria recidives of the same individual was observed. Therefore, haplotypes in relapse could also be identified in primary infections as a rare alleles. Conclusions Altogether our findings suggest that mechanisms involved in hypnozoites activation might not be based only on parasites genetic programming but also on host/enviroment factors.

Analysis of the genetic variability of PvMSP-3α among Plasmodium vivax in Brazilian field isolates

Reliable molecular markers are essential for a better understanding of the molecular epidemiology of Plasmodium vivax, which is a neglected human malaria parasite. The aim of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity of P. vivax isolates from the Brazilian Amazon using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the highly polymorphic merozoite surface protein-3alpha (PvMSP-3α) gene. To accomplish this, 60 isolates of P. vivax from different endemic areas in the Brazilian Amazon were collected. The PvMSP-3α gene was amplified by nested-PCR. Three major types of the PvMSP-3α locus were detected at different frequencies: type A (68%), B (15%) and C (17%). A single sample showed two PCR fragments, which corresponded to infection with types A and C. PCR-RFLP analysis using the HhaI restriction enzyme for 52 isolates clearly identified 11 haplotypes, eight of which were from type A, two from type B and only one from type C. Seven other isolates did not show a clear pattern using PCR-RFLP. This result might be due to multiple clone infections. This study showed a high diversity of the PvMSP-3α gene among P. vivax isolates from the Brazilian Amazon, but also indicated that the detection performance of PCR-RFLP of the PvMSP-3α gene may not be sufficient to detect multiple clone infections.

Molecular markers and genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax

Enhanced understanding of the transmission dynamics and population genetics for Plasmodium vivax is crucial in predicting the emergence and spread of novel parasite phenotypes with major public health implications, such as new relapsing patterns, drug resistance and increased virulence. Suitable molecular markers are required for these population genetic studies. Here, we focus on two groups of molecular markers that are commonly used to analyse natural populations of P. vivax. We use markers under selective pressure, for instance, antigen-coding polymorphic genes, and markers that are not under strong natural selection, such as most minisatellite and microsatellite loci. First, we review data obtained using genes encoding for P. vivax antigens: circumsporozoite protein, merozoite surface proteins 1 and 3α, apical membrane antigen 1 and Duffy binding antigen. We next address neutral or nearly neutral molecular markers, especially microsatellite loci, providing a complete list of markers that have already been used in P. vivax populations studies. We also analyse the microsatellite loci identified in the P. vivax genome project. Finally, we discuss some practical uses for P. vivax genotyping, for example, detecting multiple-clone infections and tracking the geographic origin of isolates.

Population Genetic Analysis of Plasmodium falciparum Parasites Using a Customized Illumina GoldenGate Genotyping Assay

The diversity in the Plasmodium falciparum genome can be used to explore parasite population dynamics, with practical applications to malaria control. The ability to identify the geographic origin and trace the migratory patterns of parasites with clinically important phenotypes such as drug resistance is particularly relevant. With increasing single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) discovery from ongoing Plasmodium genome sequencing projects, a demand for high SNP and sample throughput genotyping platforms for large-scale population genetic studies is required. Low parasitaemias and multiple clone infections present a number of challenges to genotyping P. falciparum. We addressed some of these issues using a custom 384-SNP Illumina GoldenGate assay on P. falciparum DNA from laboratory clones (long-term cultured adapted parasite clones), short-term cultured parasite isolates and clinical (non-cultured isolates) samples from East and West Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania. Eighty percent of the SNPs (n = 306) produced reliable genotype calls on samples containing as little as 2 ng of total genomic DNA and on whole genome amplified DNA. Analysis of artificial mixtures of laboratory clones demonstrated high genotype calling specificity and moderate sensitivity to call minor frequency alleles. Clear resolution of geographically distinct populations was demonstrated using Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and global patterns of population genetic diversity were consistent with previous reports. These results validate the utility of the platform in performing population genetic studies of P. falciparum.