TY - JOUR
T1 - Limited influence of haemoglobin variants on Plasmodium falciparum msp1 and msp2 alleles in symptomatic malaria
AU - Mockenhaupt, Frank P.
AU - Ehrhardt, Stephan
AU - Otchwemah, Rowland
AU - Eggelte, Teunis A.
AU - Anemana, Sylvester D.
AU - Stark, Klaus
AU - Bienzle, Ulrich
AU - Kohne, Elisabeth
N1 - Funding Information:
This study received financial support by Charité grant 2001-613 and is part of the Northern Region Malaria Project (NORMAP). BioDocAnalyze was kindly provided by Biometra, Germany, and chloroquine by Biokanol Pharma, Germany.
PY - 2004/5
Y1 - 2004/5
N2 - Haemoglobin (Hb) S, HbC, and α+-thalassaemia confer protection from malaria. Accordingly, these traits may influence the multiplicity of infection (MOI) of Plasmodium falciparum and the presence of distinct parasite genotypes. In 840 febrile children in northern Ghana, we typed the P. falciparum merozoite surface protein genes (msp1, msp2) and examined effects of the Hb variants on MOI and parasite diversity. HbAC, HbAS, heterozygous, and homozygous α +-thalassaemia occurred in 21, 5, 29 and 4% of the children, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum was detected in 95%. The haemoglobinopathies did not influence MOI, nor did the Hb type bias the distribution of the msp allelic families. However, IC type parasites were most common among patients with homozygous α+-thalassaemia (93%), less frequent in heterozygotes (89%), and least frequent in α-globin normal children (84%, P(χtrend2)=0.03). The opposite was seen for Mad20 type parasites (34%, 47%, 53%, P(χtrend2)=0.02). Only a few of the 72 individual msp alleles were selected by the haemoglobinopathies. HbC and α+-thalassaemia are frequent in northern Ghana. In symptomatic children, the effect of Hb variants on parasite multiplicity and diversity appears to be limited. This may reflect an actual lack of influence or indicate abrogation in symptomatic malaria.
AB - Haemoglobin (Hb) S, HbC, and α+-thalassaemia confer protection from malaria. Accordingly, these traits may influence the multiplicity of infection (MOI) of Plasmodium falciparum and the presence of distinct parasite genotypes. In 840 febrile children in northern Ghana, we typed the P. falciparum merozoite surface protein genes (msp1, msp2) and examined effects of the Hb variants on MOI and parasite diversity. HbAC, HbAS, heterozygous, and homozygous α +-thalassaemia occurred in 21, 5, 29 and 4% of the children, respectively. Plasmodium falciparum was detected in 95%. The haemoglobinopathies did not influence MOI, nor did the Hb type bias the distribution of the msp allelic families. However, IC type parasites were most common among patients with homozygous α+-thalassaemia (93%), less frequent in heterozygotes (89%), and least frequent in α-globin normal children (84%, P(χtrend2)=0.03). The opposite was seen for Mad20 type parasites (34%, 47%, 53%, P(χtrend2)=0.02). Only a few of the 72 individual msp alleles were selected by the haemoglobinopathies. HbC and α+-thalassaemia are frequent in northern Ghana. In symptomatic children, the effect of Hb variants on parasite multiplicity and diversity appears to be limited. This may reflect an actual lack of influence or indicate abrogation in symptomatic malaria.
KW - Ghana
KW - HbC
KW - MOI
KW - Malaria
KW - Thalassaemia
KW - msp
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U2 - 10.1016/j.trstmh.2003.10.001
DO - 10.1016/j.trstmh.2003.10.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 15109555
AN - SCOPUS:2942655235
SN - 0035-9203
VL - 98
SP - 302
EP - 310
JO - Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
JF - Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
IS - 5
ER -