Background: Considering increasing reports on human infections by Plasmodium knowlesi in Southeast Asian countries, blood samples collected during two large cross-sectional malariometric surveys carried out in a forested area of central Vietnam in 2004 and 2005 were screened for this parasite.
We describe the MalariaGEN Pf7 data resource, the seventh release of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation data from the MalariaGEN network. It comprises over 20,000 samples from 82 partner studies in 33 countries, including several malaria endemic regions that were previously underrepresented. For the first time we include dried blood spot samples that were sequenced after selective whole genome amplification, necessitating new methods to genotype copy number variations. We identify a large number of newly emerging crt mutations in parts of Southeast Asia, and show examples of heterogeneities in patterns of drug resistance within Africa and within the Indian subcontinent. We describe the profile of variations in the C-terminal of the csp gene and relate this to the sequence used in the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines. Pf7 provides high-quality data on genotype calls for 6 million SNPs and short indels, analysis of large deletions that cause failure of rapid diagnostic tests, and systematic characterisation of six major drug resistance loci, all of which can be freely downloaded from the MalariaGEN website.
A recently published comment on a report of Plasmodium knowlesi infections in Vietnam states that this may not accurately represent the situation in the study area because the PCR primers used may cross-hybridize with Plasmodium vivax. Nevertheless, P. knowlesi infections have been confirmed by sequencing. In addition, a neighbour-joining tree based on the 18S S-Type SSUrRNA gene shows that the Vietnamese samples clearly cluster with the P. knowlesi isolates identified in Malaysia and are distinct from the corresponding P. vivax sequences. All samples came from asymptomatic individuals who did not consult for fever during the months preceding or following the survey, indicating that asymptomatic P. knowlesi infections occur in this population, although this does not exclude the occurrence of symptomatic cases. Large-scale studies to determine the extent and the epidemiology of P. knowlesi malaria in Vietnam are further needed.
This research synthesizes the most advanced progress on biodiversity in recent decades to develop a set of information about the current condition of biodiversity in the Pu Mat national park. Data was collected from reliable documents nationally, updated statistics, and maps from management committees associated with field surveys in the study area. After implementing data synthesis, analysis, and inheritance from the previous related research and using a geographic information system (GIS), the findings indicated that: 1) Pu Mat National Park protects the rare genetic resources of Vietnam, which include 2600 floral species, 1121 animal species, and four typical ecosystems of evergreen- broadleaf natural forest, mixed wood-bamboo ecosystem, natural bamboo ecosystem and grassshrubs ecosystem; 2) establishing an ecosystem map based on the integration of the forest current maps, forest inventory maps, land use current maps in Pu Mat National Park area, scale 1:50,000; and 3) identifying factors challenging in biodiversity conversation in Pu Mat national park. The main challenging factors present, (1) the need of using biodiversity resources; (2) the urbanization process; (3) the interference with the environment and habitat from human beings; (4) climate change; and (5) the development of tourism. Understanding the current state of the study area and gaining a comprehensive understanding of biodiversity would allow for the most feasible and practical conservation strategies to be suggested for Pu Mat National Park.
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