Molecular Epidemiology of Hemoglobinopathies in Cambodia.
Determining the magnitude of the thalassemia problem in a country is important for implementing a national prevention and control program. In order to acquire accurate thalassemia prevalence data, the gene frequency of α- and β-thalassemia (α- and β-thal) in different regions of a country should be determined. The molecular basis of thalassemia in Cambodia was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based techniques in a community-based cross-sectional survey of 1631 unrelated individuals from three regions, Battambang, Preah Vihear and Phnom Penh. Thalassemia mutations were detected in 62.7% of the three studied population of Cambodia. Hb E (HBB: c.79G > A) was the most common β-globin gene mutation with a frequency ranging from 0.139 to 0.331, while the most frequent α-globin gene mutation was the -α(3.7) (rightward) deletion (0.098-0.255). The other frequencies were 0.001-0.003 for β-thal, 0.008-0.011 for α-thal-1 (- -(SEA)), 0.003-0.008 for α-thal-2 [-α(4.2) (leftward deletion)], 0.021-0.044 for Hb Constant Spring (Hb CS, HBA2: c.427T > C) and 0.009-0.036 for Hb Paksé (HBA2: c.429A > T). A regional specific thalassemia gene frequency was observed. Preah Vihear had the highest prevalence of Hb E (55.9%), α-thal-2 (24.0%) and nondeletional α-thal (15.1%), whereas Phnom Penh had the lowest frequency of thalassemia genes. Interestingly, in Preah Vihear, the frequency of Hb Paksé was extremely high (0.036), almost equivalent to that of Hb CS (0.044). Our results indicate the importance of micromapping and epidemiology studies of thalassemia, which will assist in establishing the national prevention and control program in Cambodia.
a Thalassemia Research Center, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University , Nakhon Pathom , Thailand.
Thongperm
T
Munkongdee
a Thalassemia Research Center, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University , Nakhon Pathom , Thailand.|b Department of Pathology , Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand.
Jatuporn
J
Tanakulmas
b Department of Pathology , Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand.
Punnee
P
Butthep
a Thalassemia Research Center, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University , Nakhon Pathom , Thailand.
Pranee
P
Winichagoon
c World Vision Canada , Mississauga , Ontario , Canada.
Barbara
B
Main
c World Vision Canada , Mississauga , Ontario , Canada.
Miriam
M
Yiannakis
d World Vision Cambodia , Phnom Penh , Cambodia.
Joby
J
George
e Laboratory Medicine Unlimited , Phnom Penh , Cambodia.
Robyn
R
Devenish
a Thalassemia Research Center, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University , Nakhon Pathom , Thailand.
Suthat
S
Fucharoen
a Thalassemia Research Center, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University , Nakhon Pathom , Thailand.|f Department of Biochemistry , Faculty of Science, Mahidol University , Bangkok , Thailand.
Saovaros
S
Svasti
D002160:Cambodia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006453:Hemoglobinopathies / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009154:Mutation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D055542:alpha-Globins / Q000235:genetics; D017085:alpha-Thalassemia / Q000235:genetics; D055544:beta-Globins / Q000235:genetics; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000235:genetics
D055542:alpha-Globins; D055544:beta-Globins
Cambodia; Hb Constant Spring (Hb CS); Hb E; Hb Paksé; α-Thalassemia (α-thal); β-thalassemia (β-thal)