Journal article
A Molecular Epidemiological Study of var Gene Diversity to Characterize the Reservoir of Plasmodium falciparum in Humans in Africa
Donald S Chen, Alyssa E Barry, Aleksandra Leliwa-Sytek, Terry-Ann Smith, Ingrid Peterson, Stuart M Brown, Florence Migot-Nabias, Philippe Deloron, Moses M Kortok, Kevin Marsh, Johanna P Daily, Daouda Ndiaye, Ousmane Sarr, Souleymane Mboup, Karen P Day
PLOS ONE | PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE | Published : 2011
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The reservoir of Plasmodium infection in humans has traditionally been defined by blood slide positivity. This study was designed to characterize the local reservoir of infection in relation to the diverse var genes that encode the major surface antigen of Plasmodium falciparum blood stages and underlie the parasite's ability to establish chronic infection and transmit from human to mosquito. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated the molecular epidemiology of the var multigene family at local sites in Gabon, Senegal and Kenya which differ in parasite prevalence and transmission intensity. 1839 distinct var gene types were defined by sequencing DBLα domains in the three ..
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Grants
Awarded by NIH/Fogarty International
Awarded by European Union
Awarded by Wellcome Trust
Awarded by NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Awarded by NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
Awarded by NIH
Awarded by FOGARTY INTERNATIONAL CENTER
Awarded by NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Awarded by NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES
Funding Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge NIH/Fogarty International TW001503: "Training in Malaria Pathogenesis and Diversity in Africa", Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation/Broad Institute: "P. falciparum Genetic Diversity" and ExxonMobil-HSPH Program on Malaria for support of the Senegal field sample collection. Isolates were collected in Gabon thanks to the European Union INCO Programme (contract no. IC18-CT98-0359). This work was supported by Wellcome Trust Programme grant No. 041354 awarded to KPD, NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences grant GM061351-07, and NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease grant R01 AI084156. DSC was supported by a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F32AI071765). AEB was supported by an Innovation Fellowship from the Victorian Endowment for Science Knowledge and Innovation and a Howard Florey Centenary Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.