title: The prospect of malaria elimination in the Arabian Peninsula: a population genetic approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In the Arabian Peninsula malaria control is progressing steadily, backed by adequate logistic and political support. As a result, transmission has been interrupted throughout the region, with exception of limited sites in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Here we examined Plasmodium falciparum parasites in these sites to assess if the above success has limited diversity and gene flow.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 108 P. falciparum isolates in three sites in Yemen (Taiz, Dhamar and Hodeidah) and 91 isolates from Saudi Arabia (Jazan). Nine microsatellites were analyzed for allelic diversity, multi-locus haplotype and inter-population differentiation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Diversity at each locus (unbiased heterozygosity [H]) was relatively lower in Yemen; (Hodeidah, H=0.615, Taiz, H=0.66, Dhamar, H=0.481), compared to Saudi Arabia (Jazan, H=0.76). Microsatellites were distributed widely and private alleles, detected in a single population, were rare. Pairwise comparisons revealed that parasites population in Dhamar was relatively distanced (FST=0.19). However, Taiz (Yemen) (FST=0.065) and Hodeidah (FST=0.107) populations were closer to that in Jazan (Saudi Arabia). Nonetheless, parasites in the four sites can be considered as one population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although malaria risk in Saudi Arabia has been cut considerably, the extent of diversity and parasite genetic structure are indicative of a large population size. Elimination strategy should target demographic factors that favor parasite dispersal and flow of imported malaria.
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.
authors: Salama
authors: S
authors: Al-Hamidhi
authors: Research Department, University of Science and Technology, Sana'a, Yemen; Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors: Mohammed A K
authors: MA
authors: Mahdy
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.
authors: Mohamed Ahmed
authors: MA
authors: Idris
authors: Biology Department, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Saad M
authors: SM
authors: Bin Dajem
authors: National Centre for Training and Research, MOH, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Adel Ali H
authors: AA
authors: Al-Sheikh
authors: Medical Research, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ahmed
authors: A
authors: Al-Qahtani
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.
authors: Zainab
authors: Z
authors: Al-Hashami
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.
authors: Hissa
authors: H
authors: Al-Farsi
authors: Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors: Abdulsalam M
authors: AM
authors: Al-Mekhlafi
authors: Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Sana'a University, Yemen.
authors: Riyadh
authors: R
authors: Saif-Ali
authors: Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO), University of Porto, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 7, Vairão 4485-661, Portugal.
authors: Albano
authors: A
authors: Beja-Pereira
authors: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. Electronic address: H.babiker@ed.ac.uk.
authors: Hamza A
authors: HA
authors: Babiker
mesh_terms: D056426:Genetic Loci; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D015006:Yemen
keywords: Arabian Peninsula; Genetic diversity; Plasmodium falciparum; Population structure; Saudi Arabia; Yemen