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Allelic polymorphism of MSP2 gene in severe P. falciparum malaria in an area of low and seasonal transmission

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Abstract

The severe malaria (SM) and uncomplicated malaria (UM) infections are expected to have different genetic makeup. In this study, blood samples were obtained from 325 donors with SM and UM and malaria-free donors (including asymptomatic submicroscopic malaria—ASUM), from Eastern Sudan. The SM group included patients with cerebral malaria (CM), severe malarial anemia (SMA), and other complications. The MSP2 locus was exploited for parasite genotyping. We found that the genetic diversity of the parasite population was marked (51 genotypes). The overall multiplicity of infection (MOI) was 1.5, and it was comparable between SM and UM. However, the MOI in ASUM (1.0) and fatal CM (1.14) was comparable and significantly lower than in UM (1.53), SMA (1.52), and nonfatal CM (1.7). The ratio of the IC1 to FC27 allele families was comparable between SM and UM, and the distribution of the allele sizes was correlated (correlation coefficient = 0.59 and 0.718; P < 0.001). It is interesting to note that the FC27 genotype was overrepresented in ASUM (68.2%) and was not recognized in fatal CM, while in mixed-clone infections, the clearance of IC1 after quinine treatment was faster than FC27 clearance. Finally, the composition of the multiclone infections (IC1 and FC27) was suggesting a stronger cross-immunity within rather than between MSP2 gene families.

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Acknowledgment

The patients and the healthy volunteers, the Gedarif Teaching Hospital staff, and our field team: Adil Ameen, Faiz Omer, and Mustafa Hamid, are all acknowledged for the unlimited cooperation. This study received financial support from the UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and the Multilateral Initiative on malaria in Africa (MIM), project ID A00003. We declare that the experiments done in this study were complying with the current laws of the Sudan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Malaria Research Centre (MalRC)—Department of Biochemistry, and Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, P.O. Box 102, Khartoum, Sudan

    Ishraga E. A-Elbasit, Gehad ElGhazali, Thoraya M. E. A-Elgadir, Mustafa I. Elbashir & Hayder A. Giha

  2. King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Gehad ElGhazali

  3. Malaria Research Unit National Health Laboratories, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 287, Khartoum, Sudan

    Amel A. Hamad

  4. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Quaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

    Hamza A. Babiker

  5. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University (AGU), P.O. Box 26671, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

    Hayder A. Giha

Authors
  1. Ishraga E. A-Elbasit
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  2. Gehad ElGhazali
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  3. Thoraya M. E. A-Elgadir
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  4. Amel A. Hamad
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  5. Hamza A. Babiker
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  6. Mustafa I. Elbashir
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  7. Hayder A. Giha
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Correspondence to Hayder A. Giha.

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A-Elbasit, I.E., ElGhazali, G., A-Elgadir, T.M.E. et al. Allelic polymorphism of MSP2 gene in severe P. falciparum malaria in an area of low and seasonal transmission. Parasitol Res 102, 29–34 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0716-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-007-0716-3

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