Genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum populations in three malaria transmission settings in Madagascar

Background Assessment of the genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum parasites from various malaria transmission settings could help to define tailored local strategies for malaria control and elimination. Such assessments are currently scarce in Madagascar. The study presented here aimed to bridge this gap by investigating the genetic diversity of P. falciparum populations in three epidemiological strata (Equatorial, Tropical and Fringes) in Madagascar. Methods Two-hundred and sixty-six P. falciparum isolates were obtained from patients with uncomplicated malaria enrolled in clinical drug efficacy studies conducted at health centres in Tsaratanana (Equatorial stratum), Antanimbary (Tropical stratum) and Anjoma Ramartina (Fringes) in 2013 and 2016. Parasite DNA was extracted from blood samples collected before anti-malarial treatment. Plasmodium species were identified by nested PCR targeting the 18 S rRNA gene. The genetic profiles of P. falciparum parasites were defined by allele-specific nested PCR on the polymorphic regions of the msp-1 and msp-2 genes. Results Fifty-eight alleles were detected in the P. falciparum samples tested: 18 alleles for msp-1 and 40 for msp-2. K1 (62.9%, 139/221) and FC27 (69.5%, 114/164) were the principal msp-1 and msp-2 allele families detected, although the proportions of the msp-1 and msp-2 alleles varied significantly between sites. Polyclonal infections were more frequent at sites in the Equatorial stratum (69.8%) than at sites in the Tropical stratum (60.5%) or Fringes (58.1%). Population genetics analyses showed that genetic diversity was similar between sites and that parasite flow within sites was limited. Conclusions This study provides recent information about the genetic diversity of P. falciparum populations in three transmission strata in Madagascar, and valuable baseline data for further evaluation of the impact of the control measures implemented in Madagascar.

Plasmodium vivax Resistance to Chloroquine in Madagascar: Clinical Efficacy and Polymorphisms in pvmdr1 and pvcrt-o Genes

ABSTRACT No data were available concerning Plasmodium vivax resistance to chloroquine (CQ) in Madagascar. We investigated the therapeutic efficacy of CQ in P. vivax malaria, the prevalence of mutations in the pvcrt-o and pvmdr1 genes before treatment, and the association between mutant parasites and the clinical response of the patients to CQ treatment. Clinical isolates were collected at six sentinel sites located in the three epidemiological strata for malaria throughout Madagascar in 2006. Patients were enrolled, treated, and followed up according to the WHO 2001 guidelines for P. vivax infections. Sequencing was used to analyze polymorphisms of the pvcrt-o (exons 1 to 6) and pvmdr1 genes. The treatment failure rate, after adjustment for genotyping, was estimated at 5.1% for the 105 patients included, ranging from zero in the South to 14.8% in the foothills of the Central Highlands. All samples were wild type for pvcrt-o but mutant for the pvmdr1 gene. Ten nonsynonymous mutations were found in the pvmdr1 gene, including five new mutations, four of which were present at low frequencies (1.3% to 7.5%) while the S513R mutation was present at a much higher frequency (96.3%). The other five mutations, including Y976F, had been described before and had frequencies of 97.8% to 100%. Our findings suggest that CQ-resistant P. vivax isolates are present in Madagascar, particularly in the foothills of the Central Highlands. The 976Y pvmdr1 mutation was found not to be useful for monitoring CQ resistance. Further efforts are required to develop suitable tools for monitoring drug resistance in P. vivax malaria.