Journal article
Mitochondrial DNA from the eradicated European Plasmodium vivax and P. falciparum from 70-year-old slides from the Ebro Delta in Spain
P Gelabert, M Sandoval-Velasco, I Olalde, R Fregel, A Rieux, R Escosa, C Aranda, K Paaijmans, I Mueller, MTP Gilbert, C Lalueza-Fox
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | NATL ACAD SCIENCES | Published : 2016
Abstract
Phylogenetic analysis of Plasmodium parasites has indicated that their modern-day distribution is a result of a series of human-mediated dispersals involving transport between Africa, Europe, America, and Asia. A major outstanding question is the phylogenetic affinity of the malaria causing parasites Plasmodium vivax and falciparum in historic southern Europe-where it was endemic until the mid-20th century, after which it was eradicated across the region. Resolving the identity of these parasites will be critical for answering several hypotheses on the malaria dispersal. Recently, a set of slides with blood stains of malaria-affected people from the Ebro Delta (Spain), dated between 1942 and..
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Awarded by Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Funding Acknowledgements
We thank the descendants of Dr. Canicio and especially Mr. Miquel Oliveras for offering old malaria slides for the realization of this study. Sequencing was performed at the Danish National High-Throughput DNA-Sequencing Centre, University of Copenhagen. This research was supported from European Regional Development Fund and Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain Grant BFU2015-64699-P (to C.L.-F.) and a European Research Council Consolidator Grant 681396 - Extinction Genomics (to M.T.P.G.).