Gene flow and cross-mating in Plasmodium falciparum in households in a Tanzanian village.
The diversity of the genes encoding 2 merozoite surface proteins (MSP-1 and MSP-2) of Plasmodium falciparum has been examined in parasites infecting members of 4 households in a village in Tanzania. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to characterize allelic variants of these genes by the sizes and sequences of regions of tandemly repeated bases in each gene. In each household extensive polymorphism was detected among parasites in the inhabitants and in infected mosquitoes caught in their houses. Similar frequencies of the alleles of these genes were observed in all households. Capture-recapture data indicated that both Anopheles gambiae and A. funestus freely dispersed among households in the hamlet. The results confirm that cross-mating and gene flow occur extensively among the parasites, and are discussed within the context of spatial clustering of natural populations of P. falciparum.
Babiker
H A
HA
Institute of Cell, Animal and Population Biology, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Charlwood
J D
JD
Smith
T
T
Walliker
D
D
D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D000852:Anopheles / Q000469:parasitology; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D003428:Cross Infection; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004064:Digestive System / Q000469:parasitology; D005787:Gene Frequency; D017125:Genes, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000469:parasitology; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012424:Rural Population; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D020066:Merozoite Surface Protein 1; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C065974:merozoite surface protein 2, Plasmodium