Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Dec 13:4:233.
doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-4-233.

Genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Pahang, Malaysia based on MSP-1 and MSP-2 genes

Wahib M Atroosh  1 , Hesham M Al-Mekhlafi, Mohammed Ak Mahdy, Riyadh Saif-Ali, Abdulsalam M Al-Mekhlafi, Johari Surin
Affiliations

Genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum isolates from Pahang, Malaysia based on MSP-1 and MSP-2 genes

Wahib M Atroosh et al. Parasit Vectors. .

Abstract

Background: Malaria is still a public health problem in Malaysia especially in the interior parts of Peninsular Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak (East Malaysia). This is the first study on the genetic diversity and genotype multiplicity of Plasmodium falciparum in Malaysia.

Methods: Seventy-five P. falciparum isolates were genotyped by using nested-PCR of MSP-1 (block 2) and MSP-2 (block 3).

Results: MSP-1 and MSP-2 allelic families were identified in 65 blood samples. RO33 was the predominant MSP-1 allelic family identified in 80.0% (52/65) of the samples while K1 family had the least frequency. Of the MSP-2 allelic families, 3D7 showed higher frequency (76.0%) compared to FC27 (20.0%). The multiplicity of P. falciparum infection (MOI) was 1.37 and 1.20 for MSP-1 and MSP-2, respectively. A total of seven alleles were detected; of which three MSP-1 allelic families (RO33, MAD20 and K1) were monomorphic in terms of size while MSP-2 alleles were polymorphic (two 3D7 and two FC27). Heterozygosity (HE) was 0.57 and 0.55 for MSP-1 and MSP-2, respectively.

Conclusions: The study showed that the MOI of P. falciparum is low, reflected the low intensity of malaria transmission in Pahang, Malaysia; RO33 and 3D7 were the most predominant circulating allelic families. The findings showed that P. falciparum has low allelic diversity with a high frequency of alleles. As a result, antimalarial drug efficacy trials based on MSP genotyping should be carefully interpreted.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A geographic map showing Peninsular Malaysia and Pahang's districts.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of different allelic families of MSP-1 (n = 65).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of different allelic families of MSP-2 (n = 25). * 3D7 (300-350 bp)/FC27 (350-380 bp).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. WHO. WHO World Malaria Report. World Health Organization; 2010.
    1. Wongsrichanalai C, Pickard A, Wernsdorfer W, Meshnick S. Epidemiology of drug-resistant malaria. Lancet Infec Dis. 2002;2:209–218. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(02)00239-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kiwanuka GN. Genetic diversity in Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 and 2 coding genes and its implications in malaria epidemiology: a review of published studies from 1997-2007. J Vector Borne Dis. 2009;46:1–12. - PubMed
    1. Cattamanchi A, Kyabayinze D, Hubbard A, Rosenthal PJ, Dorsey G. Distinguishing recrudescence from reinfection in a longitudinal antimalarial drug efficacy study: comparison of results based on genotyping of msp-1, msp-2, and glurp. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2003;68:133–139. - PubMed
    1. Mwingira F, Nkwengulila G, Schoepflin S, Sumari D, Beck H-P, Snounou G, Felger I, Olliaro P, Mugittu K. Plasmodium falciparum msp1, msp2 and glurp allele frequency and diversity in sub-Saharan Africa. Malar J. 2011;10:79. doi: 10.1186/1475-2875-10-79. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types