High genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax on the north coast of Papua New Guinea

Alicia Arnott, Celine Barnadas, Nicolas Senn, Peter Siba, Ivo Mueller, John C Reeder, Alyssa E Barry

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite having the highest Plasmodium vivax burden in the world, molecular epidemiological data from Papua New Guinea (PNG) for this parasite remain limited. To investigate the molecular epidemiology of P. vivax in PNG, 574 isolates collected from four catchment sites in East Sepik (N = 1) and Madang (N = 3) Provinces were genotyped using the markers MS16 and msp1F3. Genetic diversity and prevalence of P. vivax was determined for all sites. Despite a P. vivax infection prevalence in the East Sepik (15 ) catchments less than one-half the prevalence of the Madang catchments (27-35 ), genetic diversity was similarly high in all populations (He = 0.77-0.98). High genetic diversity, despite a marked difference in infection prevalence, suggests a large reservoir of diversity in P. vivax populations of PNG. Significant reductions in transmission intensity may, therefore, be required to reduce the diversity of parasite populations in highly endemic countries such as PNG.? 2013 by The American Society of Tropical.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)188 - 194
Number of pages7
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume89
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Cite this