Epidemiological Insights and Duffy Binding Protein Evolution of <i>Plasmodium vivax</i> in Duffy-Negative Cameroonians.

ABSTRACT: Malaria remains a major public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa, and P. vivax is emerging in regions with predominantly Duffy-negative populations. This study investigated P. vivax prevalence and genetic diversity across three ecological zones in Cameroon. P. vivax was detected in ~11% of febrile patients and 5.5% of asymptomatic individuals, all are Duffy-negatives. Clinical infections exhibited higher parasitemia than infections detected in the communities. Standard PvLDH-based RDTs produced false-negative results, even at high parasitemia levels, whereas molecular tools like qPCR demonstrated superior sensitivity. Genetic analysis of PvDBP1 identified two prevalent mutations, I379L (73%) and E225K (61%), among samples, suggesting adaptive evolution. Phylo

SUBMITTER: Dieng CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12330436 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature