Ferroportin Q248H mutation was not found to be protective against malaria and anemia in children under 5 years living in South Kivu/Democratic Republic of Congo, an endemic area of

Ferroportin (FPN) is known as an iron exporter and its effect on RBC iron could therefore hamper the growth of malaria parasites, since parasites are in need of iron. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of FPN Q248H in South Kivu/DRC and to evaluate its role inWe conducted a cross-sectional study in the health zone of Miti Murhesa in South Kivu/DRC. 1088 children aged under five years were included. The FPN Q248H mutation was analyzed by PCR (N = 1071). Allele frequency was calculated based on Hardy-Weinberg equation.We found 11.4% FPN Q248H mutation. T allele frequency was estimated to be 0.0588 ± 0.0052. No significant differences for frequencies of anemia and malaria were observed between FPN Q248H mutation and FPN wild type. HoweverEven though FPN Q248H mutation is associated with lower hemoglobin values in