Parasites, Hosts and Diseases

The Korea Society for Parasitology and Tropical Medicine (대한기생충학·열대의학회)
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Population genetic analysis of Plasmodium vivax vir genes in Pakistan

  • Sylvatrie-Danne Dinzouna-Boutamba (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Zin Moon (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Sanghyun Lee (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Sahib Gul Afridi (Department of Biochemistry, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan) ;
  • Huong Giang Le (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Department of Convergence Medical Science, and Institute of Health Science, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Yeonchul Hong (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Byoung-Kuk Na (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Department of Convergence Medical Science, and Institute of Health Science, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine) ;
  • Youn-Kyoung Goo (Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2024.05.08
  • Accepted : 2024.06.21
  • Published : 2024.08.31
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Abstract

Plasmodium vivax variant interspersed repeats (vir) refer to the key protein used for escaping the host immune system. Knowledge in the genetic variation of vir genes can be used for the development of vaccines or diagnostic methods. Therefore, we evaluated the genetic diversity of the vir genes of P. vivax populations of several Asian countries, including Pakistan, which is a malaria-endemic country experiencing a significant rise in malaria cases in recent years. We analyzed the genetic diversity and population structure of 4 vir genes (vir 4, vir 12, vir 21, and vir 27) in the Pakistan P. vivax population and compared these features to those of the corresponding vir genes in other Asian countries. In Pakistan, vir 4 (S=198, H=9, Hd=0.889, Tajima's D value=1.12321) was the most genetically heterogenous, while the features of vir 21 (S=8, H=7, Hd=0.664, Tajima's D value =-0.63763) and vir 27 (S =25, H =11, Hd =0.682, Tajima's D value=-2.10836) were relatively conserved. Additionally, vir 4 was the most genetically diverse among Asian P. vivax populations, although within population diversity was low. Meanwhile, vir 21 and vir 27 among all Asian populations were closely related genetically. Our findings on the genetic diversity of vir genes and its relationships between populations in diverse geographical locations contribute toward a better understanding of the genetic characteristics of vir. The high level of genetic diversity of vir 4 suggests that this gene can be a useful genetic marker for understanding the P. vivax population structure. Longitudinal genetic diversity studies of vir genes in P. vivax isolates obtained from more diverse geographical areas are needed to better understand the function of vir genes and their use for the development of malaria control measures, such as vaccines.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant (NRF-2024M3A9H5043141). We are grateful to all blood donors and the supportive laboratory personnel who contributed in samples collection and diagnosis in the Pakistan.

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