Open AccessPlasmodium vivax From Duffy-Negative and Duffy-Positive Individuals Share Similar Gene Pools in East Africa
Author(s) -
Daniel Kepple,
Alfred Hubbard,
Musab M Ali,
Beka Raya Abargero,
Karen López,
Kareen Pestana,
Daniel Janies,
Guiyun Yan,
Muzamil Mahdi Abdel Hamid,
Delenasaw Yewhalaw,
Eugenia Lo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the journal of infectious diseases (online. university of chicago press)/the journal of infectious diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.69
H-Index - 252
eISSN - 1537-6613
pISSN - 0022-1899
DOI - 10.1093/infdis/jiab063
Subject(s) - plasmodium vivax , biology , transmission (telecommunications) , vivax malaria , malaria , virology , gene , immunology , genetics , plasmodium falciparum , electrical engineering , engineering
Plasmodium vivax malaria was thought to be rare in Africa, but an increasing number of P. vivax cases reported across Africa and in Duffy-negative individuals challenges this dogma. The genetic characteristics of P. vivax in Duffy-negative infections, the transmission of P. vivax in East Africa, and the impact of environments on transmission remain largely unknown. This study examined genetic and transmission features of P. vivax from 107 Duffy-negative and 305 Duffy-positive individuals in Ethiopia and Sudan. No clear genetic differentiation was found in P. vivax between the 2 Duffy groups, indicating between-host transmission. P. vivax from Ethiopia and Sudan showed similar genetic clusters, except samples from Khartoum, possibly due to distance and road density that inhibited parasite gene flow. This study is the first to show that P. vivax can transmit to and from Duffy-negative individuals and provides critical insights into the spread of P. vivax in sub-Saharan Africa.