title: The population structure of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax during an epidemic of malaria in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
abstract: Although most of the Papua New Guinea highlands are too high for stable malaria transmission, local epidemics are a regular feature of the region. Few detailed descriptions of such epidemics are available, however. We describe the investigation of a malaria epidemic in the Obura Valley, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea. Of the 244 samples examined by microscopy, 6.6% were positive for Plasmodium falciparum only, 9.4% were positive for Plasmodium vivax only, and 1.2% were mixed infections. MSP2 and MSP3alpha genotyping and AMA1 sequencing were used to determine the genetic variation present in a sample of P. falciparum and P. vivax infections. The P. vivax infections were found to be genetically highly diverse. In contrast, all P. falciparum samples were of a single genotype. This striking difference in genetic diversity suggests endemic, low-level local transmission for P. vivax but an outside introduction of P. falciparum as the most likely source of the epidemic.
authors.affiliation: PNG Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea. ivo@pngimr.org.pg
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Japalis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaiok
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cortés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D016780:Malaria, Vivax / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D008297:Male; D010219:Papua New Guinea / Q000453:epidemiology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics*; D010966:Plasmodium vivax / Q000235:genetics*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins