Intra-host dynamics of co-infecting parasite genotypes in asymptomatic malaria patients

Infection, Genetics and Evolution : Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases
Standwell C NkhomaStephen A Ward

Abstract

Malaria-infected individuals often harbor mixtures of genetically distinct parasite genotypes. We studied intra-host dynamics of parasite genotypes co-infecting asymptomatic adults in an area of intense malaria transmission in Chikhwawa, Malawi. Serial blood samples (5 ml) were collected over seven consecutive days from 25 adults with asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria and analyzed to determine whether a single peripheral blood sample accurately captures within-host parasite diversity. Blood samples from three of the participants were also analyzed by limiting dilution cloning and SNP genotyping of the parasite clones isolated to examine both the number and relatedness of co-infecting parasite haplotypes. We observed rapid turnover of co-infecting parasite genotypes in 88% of the individuals sampled (n = 22) such that the genetic composition of parasites infecting these individuals changed dramatically over the course of seven days of follow up. Nineteen of the 25 individuals sampled (76%) carried multiple parasite genotypes at baseline. Analysis of serial blood samples from three of the individuals revealed that they harbored 6, 12 and 17 distinct parasite haplotypes respectively. Approximately 70% of parasite haplotyp...Continue Reading

Methods Mentioned

BETA
genotyping
Assay
PCR
light microscopy
blood draws
single cell sequencing
shows
a

Software Mentioned

STATA
Allelic Discrimination
PlasmoDB

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