title: Transmission intensity and Plasmodium falciparum diversity on the northwestern border of Thailand.
abstract: Genetic analysis of the number of Plasmodium falciparum genotypes per infected person in regions of holoendemic and hyperendemic malaria suggest that in areas of lower transmission intensity, significantly fewer parasite genotypes per infected person should be found. A predominance of single clone infections in the human population could generate the controversial clonal population structure proposed for P. falciparum by Tibayrenc and others. Characterization of P. falciparum from individuals on the Thai-Burmese border, an area of hypoendemic transmission, revealed a higher number of genotypes per infected person than that predicted. Possible reasons for this observation are discussed, with particular attention paid to human migration and multidrug resistance.
authors.affiliation: The Wellcome Trust Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hackford
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brockman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Muller-Graf
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luxemburger
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nosten
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Day
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D005787:Gene Frequency; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000635:transmission; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000235:genetics; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1; D011498:Protein Precursors; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C072492:glutamate-rich protein, Plasmodium