Household clustering and seasonal genetic variation of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i> at the community-level in The Gambia.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the genetic diversity and transmission dynamics of Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria, is crucial for effective control and elimination efforts. In some endemic regions, malaria is highly seasonal with no or little transmission during up to 8 mo, yet little is known about how seasonality affects the parasite population genetics. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study over 2.5 y on 1516 participants in the Upper River Region of The Gambia. With 425 P. falciparum genetic barcodes genotyped from asymptomatic infections, we developed an identity by descent (IBD) based pipeline and validated its accuracy against 199 parasite genomes sequenced from the same isolates. Genetic relatedness between isolates revealed a very low inbreeding level, suggest

SUBMITTER: Guery MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12113269 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature