Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Two new genotypes of Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein found in the Republic of Korea

  • Kho, Weon-Gyu (Department of Parasitology and Institute of Malariology, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Park, Yeong-Hong (Department of Biochemistry, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Chung, Joon-Yong (Department of Parasitology and Institute of Malariology, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Jong-Pil (Department of Parasitology and Institute of Malariology, Inje University College of Medicine) ;
  • Hong, Sung-Tae (Department of Parasitology and Institute of Endemic Diseases, Seoul National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Won-Ja (Department of Medical Zoology, National Institute of Health) ;
  • Kim, Tong-Soo (Department of Medical Zoology, National Institute of Health) ;
  • Lee, Jong-Soo (Department of Medical Zoology, National Institute of Health)
  • Published : 1999.12.01
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Abstract

The gene encoding Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein (PvCSP) exhibits polymorphism in many geographical isolates. The present study was designed to investigate polymorphism in PvCSP gene of P. vivax isolates in Korea. Thirty isolates, obtained from indigenous cases in Yonchon-gun, Kyonggi-do in 1997, were subjected for sequencing and RFLP analysis of the repeat and post-repeat regions of PvCSP gene and two genotypes (SK-A and SK-B) were identified. The genotype of 19 isolates was SK-A and that of 11 isolates was SK-B. Although the number of 12-base repeats present in SK-A was three while two were found in a Chinese strain CH-5, the repeat sequence of SK-A was identical to that of CH-5 except for one base substitution. Compared with known data there was no identical isolates with SK-B, but the sequence of SK-B was similar to that of a North Korean (NK) isolate. These results indicate that two genotypes of PvCSP coexist in the present epidemic area of Korea and the present parasite may originate from East Asia. RFLP would be useful to classify genotypes of P. vivax population instead of gene sequencing.

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