1. Plasmodium falciparum pfhrp2 and pfhrp3 Gene Deletions and Relatedness to Other Global Isolates, Djibouti, 2019-2020.
- Author
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Rogier E, McCaffery JN, Mohamed MA, Herman C, Nace D, Daniels R, Lucchi N, Jones S, Goldman I, Aidoo M, Cheng Q, Kemenang EA, Udhayakumar V, and Cunningham J
- Subjects
- Antigens, Protozoan genetics, Diagnostic Tests, Routine, Djibouti epidemiology, Ethiopia, Gene Deletion, Histidine genetics, Humans, Protozoan Proteins genetics, Protozoan Proteins metabolism, Malaria, Falciparum diagnosis, Malaria, Falciparum epidemiology, Plasmodium falciparum genetics
- Abstract
Deletions of pfhrp2 and paralogue pfhrp3 (pfhrp2/3) genes threaten Plasmodium falciparum diagnosis by rapid diagnostic test. We examined 1,002 samples from suspected malaria patients in Djibouti City, Djibouti, to investigate pfhrp2/3 deletions. We performed assays for Plasmodium antigen carriage, pfhrp2/3 genotyping, and sequencing for 7 neutral microsatellites to assess relatedness. By PCR assay, 311 (31.0%) samples tested positive for P. falciparum infection, and 296 (95.2%) were successfully genotyped; 37 (12.5%) samples were pfhrp2+/pfhrp3+, 51 (17.2%) were pfhrp2+/pfhrp3-, 5 (1.7%) were pfhrp2-/pfhrp3+, and 203 (68.6%) were pfhrp2-/pfhrp3-. Histidine-rich protein 2/3 antigen concentrations were reduced with corresponding gene deletions. Djibouti P. falciparum is closely related to Ethiopia and Eritrea parasites (pairwise G
ST 0.68 [Ethiopia] and 0.77 [Eritrea]). P. falciparum with deletions in pfhrp2/3 genes were highly prevalent in Djibouti City in 2019-2020; they appear to have arisen de novo within the Horn of Africa and have not been imported.- Published
- 2022
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