Genetic Markers and Malaria. Observations in Gujarat, India

Abstract

189 healthy controls and 175 patients suffering from malaria vivax have been investigated with regard to associations between this disease and 22 genetic polymorphisms of the blood (ABO, MN, Ss, Rh, Kell, P, Lutheran, Kidd, Duffy, Diego, Xg; ABH-Secretor; Hp, Gc, Gm, Km; aP, AK, PGM₁ 6-PGD, EsD; Hb variants) Significant associations could be demonstrated only for P and Hp systems, though in accordance with other investigations it cannot be excluded that the ABO system plays also a role in this connection.

The association of genetic markers and malaria infection in the Brazilian Western Amazonian region

“…Kell system did not exhibit association with the phenotypes involved in Plasmodium infection, a result that was also observed in other populations (Singh et al 1986, Bayoumi et al 1986, Montoya et al 1994.…”

“…In spite of the fact that these phenomena might provoke an association of ABO blood groups and the number of malarial episodes, the results presented above do not enable to reject the null hypothesis that this polymorphic system is not associated with the number of malarial episodes. The absence of association between ABO system and malaria infection was also observed in other populations (Osisanyia 1983, Singh et al 1986, Bayoumi et al 1986, Montoya et al 1994 but Santos et al (1983) detected in Brazil a significant association between the presence of B antigen and the number of malarial episodes. Although our results pointed to the same direction, we were not able to confirm this observation by combining the frequency of B and AB individuals.…”

“…Harrison et al (1976), in spite of not finding an association between haptoglobin and the presence of malaria parasites in blood, claimed to have strong evidence that, in New Guinea, homozygotes for Hp 1 gene are more likely to show signs of hepatomegaly and splenomegaly than Hp 1 Hp 2 heterozygotes. Santos et al (1983) and Singh et al (1986) found a significant excess of individuals with the Hp1-1 phenotype among malaria patients in Brazil and in India, respectively. In our data haptoglobin did not show significant association with the phenotypes involved in Plasmodium infection neither when all detected phenotypes (Hp1-1, Hp1-2, Hp 2-2, Hp1-2M) were considered nor when all of them except Hp1-1 were pooled together.…”

Genética epidemiológica de malária em Rondônia.

“…In spite of the fact that these phenomena might provoke an association of ABO blood groups and the number of malarial episodes, the results presented above do not enable to reject the null hypothesis that this polymorphic system is not associated with the number of malarial episodes. The absence of association between ABO system and malaria infection was also observed in other populations (Osisanyia 1983, Singh et al 1986, 1995, Bayoumi et al 1986, Montoya et al 1994 but Santos et al (1983) detected in Brazil a significant association between the presence of B antigen and the number of malarial episodes. Although our results pointed to the same direction, we were not able to confirm this observation by combining the frequency of B and AB individuals.…”

“…Os estudos (OSISANYIA, 1983;SINGH et al, 1986SINGH et al, , 1995BAYOUMI et al, 1986e MONTOYA et al, 1994 Key words: malaria -genetic markers -association studies -Western Amazonia -Rondônia -Brazil Malaria, an infectious disease caused by an intra-cellular erythrocyte parasite (Plasmodium sp. ), has significant associations with several red blood cell polymorphisms (hemoglobin, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, ABO and Duffy systems) detected in populations who are or were living under hyper-endemic conditions in the Old World (Allison 1954a,b, Vandepitte & Delaisse 1957, Motulsky 1960, 1964, Siniscalco et al 1961, Miller et al 1976, Santos et al 1983, Udomsangpetch et al 1989, 1993, Carlson & Wahlgren 1992, Barragan et al 2000.…”