Publication Details

AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH

biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology

Low Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum Histidine-Rich Protein 2 and 3 Gene Deletions—A Multiregional Study in Central and West Africa

Pathogens, Volume 12, No. 3, Article 455, Year 2023

Plasmodium falciparum parasites carrying deletions of histidine-rich protein 2 and 3 genes, pfhrp2 and pfhrp3, respectively, are likely to escape detection via HRP2-based rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and, consequently, treatment, posing a major risk to both the health of the infected individual and malaria control efforts. This study assessed the frequency of pfhrp2- and pfhrp3-deleted strains at four different study sites in Central Africa (number of samples analyzed: Gabon N = 534 and the Republic of Congo N = 917) and West Africa (number of samples analyzed: Nigeria N = 466 and Benin N = 120) using a highly sensitive multiplex qPCR. We found low prevalences for pfhrp2 (1%, 0%, 0.03% and 0) and pfhrp3 single deletions (0%, 0%, 0.03% and 0%) at all study sites (Gabon, the Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Benin, respectively). Double-deleted P. falciparum were only found in Nigeria in 1.6% of all internally controlled samples. The results of this pilot investigation do not point towards a high risk for false-negative RDT results due to pfhrp2/pfhrp3 deletions in Central and West African regions. However, as this scenario can change rapidly, continuous monitoring is essential to ensure that RDTs remain a suitable tool for the malaria diagnostic strategy.

Statistics
Citations: 19
Authors: 19
Affiliations: 9
Identifiers
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Study Locations
Multi-countries
Benin
Congo
Gabon
Nigeria