Plasmodium falciparum: Extensive Polymorphism in Merozoite Surface Antigen 2 Alleles in an Area with Endemic Malaria in Papua New Guinea

The prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum in 304 individuals from two villages in Papua New Guinea has been determined by PCR amplification of the gene encoding the merozoite surface antigen 2 (MSA2). Forty-seven percent of the blood samples were positive for P. falciparum. The MSA2 alleles of this parasite population were characterized by PCR-RFLP genotyping. In 144 P. falciparum infections 38 different MSA2 alleles were found. The most common allele (22%) was a variant of FC27. Further alleles, found in the study area, were IC1, KF1916, and MAD71. In addition to these previously described alleles, 33 novel variant forms of MSA2 were detected, most of which were represented at very low frequency in the study population. MSA2 genotyping of a local P. falciparum population revealed an unexpected amount of genetic heterogeneity. The diversity is mostly due to variation in the repeat region resulting in length polymorphism that can be easily detected by PCR-RFLP.Copyright 1994, 1999 Academic Press, Inc.