Genetic Diversity in Plasmodium falciparum

Abstract

This chapter focuses on those forms of genetic diversity that are clearly understood at the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) level. The application of recombinant DNA technology to the study of Plasmodium falciparum and other species of Plasmodium has resulted in rapid advances in the understanding of genetic diversity in malaria. Variation in repeat sequences from one isolate to another forms a major component of genetic diversity in Plasmodium. The introduction of pulsed field gradient (PFG) electrophoresis has allowed one to study Plasmodium chromosomes, and there is considerable variation in chromosome size from one parasite clone to another. A major component of this variation appears to be ..