Diversity of the malaria parasites found in people with no symptoms of malaria

What is it about?

The asymptomatic human population ensures the continual transmission of the Plasmodium parasite. We surveyed children, pregnant women and the adult population with asymptomatic Plasmodium infection and determined the genetic diversity of the parasite obtained from these population groups. The majority of people with a single infection had genetically diverse clones. For the entire population, there were 10 genetically diverse msp-1, with the majority being the K1 strain. There were 27 genetically diverse msp-2, with the majority having the 3D7 allele. Finally, there were 8 genetically diverse glurp, with the majority being polymorphic. There was a higher degree of polymorphism of msp-2 in the parasites across all the population groups.

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Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash

Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash

Why is it important?

To achieve one of the targets of the WHO global malaria programme operational strategy 2024 - 2030, which is eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries, then the major focus should be on shrinking the reservoir of the Plasmodium parasite. The parasites in people with asymptomatic malaria sustain the malaria burden within populations and determine the level of diversity of the parasite population causing malaria. Most malaria control strategies focus on symptomatic malaria, but for malaria to be a thing of the past, similar level efforts should focus on the asymptomatic malaria infection. By observing the asymptomatic reservoir for the malaria disease and exploring what could make a difference in reducing the level of asymptomatic infection, we can formulate creative strategies that can enable us to achieve any set target.

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