Population Genomics Of Plasmodium Falciparum And Malaria Control Implications In Abidjan (Cote D’ivoire)

Background: The sudden onset of P. falciparum resistance to antimalarial drugs requires careful surveillance of African parasite population. Genomics tools are implemented to detect evolutionary changes that could impact on malaria control and elimination strategies. Here, we evaluated the genome-wide pattern of selection and sequence variation of P. falciparum populations from Côte d’Ivoire. Methods: The study was carried out in three localities of Abidjan from 2013 to 2014. We collected 70 blood samples following a written consent from patients above two years of age. After extracting P. falciparum DNA from isolates, we performed Whole Genome Sequencing and used population genomics approaches to investigate genetic diversity, complexity of infection and identify loci under positive directional selection. Results: We observed an excess of rare variants in the population showing a clear mutation process in the isolates. Moderate Fst estimates (0.3) was detected for surfin genes expressed at the surface of infected erythrocytes and released merozoites. Seven iHS regions that had at least two SNPs with a score > 3.2 were identified. These regions code for genes that have been under strong directional selection. Two of these genes were the chloroquine resistance transporter ( crt) on chromosome 7 and the dihydropteroate reductase (dhps) on chromosome 8 despite their official proscription for malaria treatment since 2007. There was also a recent selective sweep in the erythrocyte membrane protein ( Pfemp1) . Conclusion: Population genomics revealed selective drug pressure and balancing selection on protective immunity target genes, demonstrating his effectiveness to follow up adaptive evolution of parasite populations and adopt appropriate strategies to control malaria in Côte d’Ivoire. Keywords: Malaria, Population Genomics, Whole Genome Sequencing, Côte d’Ivoire, Plasmodium falciparum