Genetic diversity and the endemic malaria prevalence of Korea

초록

Plasmodium vivax, although causing a less serious disease than P. falciparum, is the most widespread of human malarial species. Recently, P. vivax cases in Korea are increasing although the national malaria program has been established. The merozoite surface protein (MSP-1) and circumsporozoite protein (CSP) of Plasmodium sp. are major vaccine candidates and have used as genetic markers. We have investigated the polymorphism of overall P. vivax strains in high and low endemic areas of Korea and the samples have collected during recent 10 years since reemergence, 1993. The variable regions of CSP and MSP-1 genes of malaria patients in South and a part of North Korea were cloned and analyzed. In the sequence analysis of MSP-1 gene, we found that there is no diversity was shown in early period, but it has been started from 2000, a year showing the maximum outbreak. The results from recent patients of South Korea, more than half of arasites were belong to Sal I types (Sal-1:51%, Belem: 24%, Recombinant: 25%), while the sequence from North Korean patient showed a high rate of recombinant type (Sal-1: 33%, Belem: 11%, Recombinant: 56%). As for CSP gene analysis, almost of the isolates belong to the VK 210 type with variations, and divided into 7 subtypes. The present study indicated that the diversity might be more complicated every year and implied that vivax malaria in south Korea is getting indigenous although it has been largely influenced by North Korea in the past.