Genotyping of <i>MSP3</i>&#946; gene in Indian <i>Plasmodium vivax</i>

• Main Authors: Purva Gupta, Veena Pande, Alex Eapen, Vineeta Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2013-08-01
• Series: Journal of Vector Borne Diseases
• Subjects: Genotyping; <i>MSP3</i>&#946; ; <i>Plasmodium vivax</i>; RFLP
• Online Access: http://www.mrcindia.org/journal/issues/503197.pdf

<b>Background & objectives:</b> The search for effective polymorphic markers in <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> is highly demanding to understand its transmission in a population. Due to the limited knowledge existing for <i>P. vivax</i>, the search for polymorphic markers for population studies is ongoing. The <i>MSP</i> gene family of <i>Plasmodia</i> has been linked with immune evasion. To study the circulating parasite population <i>P. vivax</i> merozoite surface protein 3&#946; (<i>PvMSP3</i>&#946;) polymorphic marker was used to investigate the genetic diversity of <i>P. vivax</i> in natural infections. <b>Methods:</b> Polymorphism of <i>PvMSP3</i>&#946; gene was determined in 46 <i>P. vivax</i> blood samples from six different regions of India by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with <i>PstI</i>. <b>Results:</b> Two different parasite genotypes, viz. type-A and type-B were detected among 46 samples that were positive for PCR, based on the size of the amplification. RFLP analysis with PstI showed 22 allelic groups and 15.2% samples revealed mixed infections on analysis. <b>Conclusion:</b> PvMSP3&#946; was found to be an effective molecular marker for <i>P. vivax</i> as it shows high diversity in India and multiple genotypes easily distinguishable without the need for sequencing.