Author(s):
Mendes, Cristina ; Salgueiro, Patrícia ; Gonzalez, Vicenta ; Berzosa, Pedro ; Benito, Agustin ; Rosário, Virgílio E. do ; Sousa, Bruno de ; Cano, Jorge ; Arez, Ana Paula
Date: 2013
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/46917
Origin: Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra
Subject(s): Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Animals; Antimalarials; Child; Child, Preschool; Culicidae; DNA, Protozoan; Equatorial Guinea; Female; Genes, Protozoan; Humans; Infant; Malaria; Male; Middle Aged; Plasmodium; Point Mutation; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Selection, Genetic; Young Adult; Drug Resistance; Genetic Markers; Genetic Variation
Description
In Plasmodium, the high level of genetic diversity and the interactions established by co-infecting parasite populations within the same host may be a source of selection on pathogen virulence and drug resistance. As different patterns have already been described in humans and mosquitoes, parasite diversity and population structure should be studied in both hosts to properly assess their effects on infection and transmission dynamics. This study aimed to characterize the circulating populations of Plasmodium spp and Plasmodium falciparum from a combined set of human blood and mosquito samples gathered in mainland Equatorial Guinea. Further, the origin and evolution of anti-malarial resistance in this area, where malaria remains a major public health problem were traced.
