Molecular typing reveals substantial Plasmodium vivax infection in asymptomatic adults in a rural area of Cameroon

Fru-Cho, Jerome; Bumah, Violet V.; Safeukui, Innocent; Nkuo‐Akenji, Theresa; Titanji, Vincent P. K.; Haldar, Kasturi

doi:10.1186/1475-2875-13-170

Cited by 69 publications

(105 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Till 2013, incidences of P. vivax infection reported in Cameroon were restricted to non-native Cameroonians [22]. Very recently, it has been found that native Cameroonians ( Duffy positive as well as Duffy negative individuals) were also able to be infected by the malaria parasite P. vivax [23]. Considering Cameroon as “Africa in miniature” with respect to malaria epidemiology [21], the recent report on native Cameroonians being infected with P. vivax [23] and the fact that Cameroon borders with malaria endemic countries (such as Equatorial Guinea) reporting P. vivax infection in Duffy -negative individuals, it is therefore important not only to survey the extent of malaria due to infection of different species of malaria parasites in native Cameroonians, but also to explore other regions of the country for the possible detection of P. vivax malaria infection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Evidence of Plasmodium vivax Mono and Mixed Malaria Parasite Infections in Duffy-Negative Native Cameroonians

Mbenda

Das

2014

PLoS ONE

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The malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax is known to be majorly endemic to Asian and Latin American countries with no or very few reports of Africans infected with this parasite. Since the human Duffy antigens act as receptors for P. vivax to invade human RBCs and Africans are generally Duffy-negative, non-endemicity of P. vivax in Africa has been attributed to this fact. However, recent reports describing P. vivax infections in Duffy-negative Africans from West and Central parts of Africa have been surfaced including a recent report on P. vivax infection in native Cameroonians. In order to know if Cameroonians living in the southern regions are also susceptible to P. vivax infection, we collected finger-prick blood samples from 485 malarial symptomatic patients in five locations and followed PCR diagnostic assays with DNA sequencing of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene. Out of the 201 malaria positive cases detected, 193 were pure P. falciparum, six pure P. vivax and two mixed parasite infections (P. falciparum + P. vivax). The eight P. vivax infected samples (six single + two mixed) were further subjected to DNA sequencing of the P. vivax multidrug resistance 1 (pvmdr1) and the P.vivax circumsporozoite (pvcsp) genes. Alignment of the eight Cameroonian pvmdr1 sequences with the reference sequence showed high sequence similarities, reconfirming P. vivax infection in all the eight patients. DNA sequencing of the pvcsp gene indicated all the eight P. vivax to be of VK247 type. Interestingly, DNA sequencing of a part of the human Duffy gene covering the promoter region in the eight P. vivax-infected Cameroonians to identify the T-33C mutation revealed all these patients as Duffy-negative. The results provide evidence of single P. vivax as well as mixed malaria parasite infection in native Cameroonians and add knowledge to the growing evidences of P. vivax infection in Duffy-negative Africans.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Evidence of Plasmodium vivax Mono and Mixed Malaria Parasite Infections in Duffy-Negative Native Cameroonians

Mbenda

Das

2014

PLoS ONE

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“…Recently, Duffy-null individuals were found to be infected with P. vivax, both throughout Africa (Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Cameroon, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, and Sudan) and in South America (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21), raising the question: How can P. vivax invade in the absence of Duffy blood group expression? Is it possible that mutations in the cysteine-rich region 2 of the P. vivax DBP1 allows binding to another protein on the surface of Duffy-null erythrocytes, unrelated to the Duffy?…”

Section: Dna Expansionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein 1 in invasion of Duffy-null Africans

Gunalan

Hostetler

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

121

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The ability of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax to invade erythrocytes is dependent on the expression of the Duffy blood group antigen on erythrocytes. Consequently, Africans who are null for the Duffy antigen are not susceptible to P. vivax infections. Recently, P. vivax infections in Duffy-null Africans have been documented, raising the possibility that P. vivax, a virulent pathogen in other parts of the world, may expand malarial disease in Africa. P. vivax binds the Duffy blood group antigen through its Duffy-binding protein 1 (DBP1). To determine if mutations in DBP1 resulted in the ability of P. vivax to bind Duffy-null erythrocytes, we analyzed P. vivax parasites obtained from two Duffy-null individuals living in Ethiopia where Duffy-null and -positive Africans live side-by-side. We determined that, although the DBP1s from these parasites contained unique sequences, they failed to bind Duffy-null erythrocytes, indicating that mutations in DBP1 did not account for the ability of P. vivax to infect Duffy-null Africans. However, an unusual DNA expansion of DBP1 (three and eight copies) in the two Duffy-null P. vivax infections suggests that an expansion of DBP1 may have been selected to allow low-affinity binding to another receptor on Duffy-null erythrocytes. Indeed, we show that Salvador (Sal) I P. vivax infects Squirrel monkeys independently of DBP1 binding to Squirrel monkey erythrocytes. We conclude that P. vivax Sal I and perhaps P. vivax in Duffy-null patients may have adapted to use new ligand-receptor pairs for invasion.Plasmodium vivax | Duffy blood group antigen | Duffy-binding protein | DNA expansionI n 1975 we identified the failure of Plasmodium knowlesi to invade Duffy-null erythrocytes (1). We assumed that the Duffy blood group null phenotype, a common African phenotype, conferred resistance in Africans to P. vivax, a Plasmodium closely related to P. knowlesi. Subsequent studies demonstrated that African American volunteers who were Duffy-null were resistant to mosquito-transmitted P. vivax (2). In addition, African American soldiers in Vietnam who were infected with P. vivax were all Duffypositive (3). Furthermore, African Americans in a village in Honduras who were infected with P. vivax were all Duffy-positive whereas those infected with P. falciparum were both Duffy-null and -positive (4). We concluded that Duffy null was the basis of resistance to P. vivax by Africans.The molecular basis of Duffy null was a single point mutation in the GATA1-binding sequence in the promotor region 5′ to the Duffy blood group ORF (Fig. 1B) that led to Duffy-blood-groupnull erythrocytes (5). In vitro studies with P. knowlesi demonstrated that the invasive merozoites were able to bind and reorient apically with Duffy-null erythrocytes but could not form a junction as occurred in Duffy-positive erythrocytes, indicating that the Duffy blood group was required for P. vivax invasion (6). Later, in P. knowlesi parasite culture supernatants, the parasite ligand binding to Duffy blood group antigen was identi...

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“…Misdiagnosis, mixed-parasitic infection, and successful establishment and continuous spread of resistant parasite strains pose a great challenge for global malaria control programs. Hence, accurate diagnosis appears to be crucial for the successful treatment of malaria, and molecular approaches by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic assays have lately evolved, across the world, as the most sensitive method for this purpose in comparison to the traditional microscopy method [2][3][4][5][6]. In addition, Plasmodium vivax is now capable of not only infecting Africans, who are ordinarily recognized as resistant to malaria infection due to this parasite, but also of causing severe malaria [7].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In addition, Plasmodium vivax is now capable of not only infecting Africans, who are ordinarily recognized as resistant to malaria infection due to this parasite, but also of causing severe malaria [7]. In this respect, newer studies have reported that Duffy-negative native Cameroonians can also be infected by P. vivax [5,6]. These P. vivax-infected patients were found in five different cities of the southern part of the country [5,6].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In this respect, newer studies have reported that Duffy-negative native Cameroonians can also be infected by P. vivax [5,6]. These P. vivax-infected patients were found in five different cities of the southern part of the country [5,6]. In order to pursue our assessment on the P. vivax malaria infection in Cameroon, we screened 60 malaria symptomatic patients who came for consultation at one of the most visited district hospitals, the District Hospital of New-Bell, in the biggest cosmopolitan city of Cameroon, Douala.…”

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An additional observation of Plasmodium vivax malaria infection in Duffy-negative individuals from Cameroon

Mbenda

Gouado

Das

2016

J Infect Dev Ctries

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Molecular typing reveals substantial Plasmodium vivax infection in asymptomatic adults in a rural area of Cameroon

Cited by 69 publications

References 33 publications

Molecular Evidence of Plasmodium vivax Mono and Mixed Malaria Parasite Infections in Duffy-Negative Native Cameroonians

Molecular Evidence of Plasmodium vivax Mono and Mixed Malaria Parasite Infections in Duffy-Negative Native Cameroonians

Role of Plasmodium vivax Duffy-binding protein 1 in invasion of Duffy-null Africans

An additional observation of Plasmodium vivax malaria infection in Duffy-negative individuals from Cameroon

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