A barcode of organellar genome polymorphisms identifies the geographic origin of Plasmodium falciparum strains

Mark D. Preston, Susana Campino, Samuel A. Assefa, Diego F. Echeverry, Harold Ocholla, Alfred Amambua-Ngwa, Lindsay B. Stewart, David J. Conway, Steffen Borrmann, Pascal Michon, Issaka Zongo, Jean-Bosco Ouédraogo, Abdoulaye A. Djimde, Ogobara K. Doumbo, Francois Nosten, Arnab Pain, Teun Bousema, Chris J. Drakeley, Rick M. Fairhurst, Colin J. Sutherland, Cally Roper () and Taane G. Clark ()
Additional contact information
Mark D. Preston: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Susana Campino: Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Samuel A. Assefa: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Diego F. Echeverry: Purdue University
Harold Ocholla: College of Medicine, University of Malawi
Alfred Amambua-Ngwa: Medical Research Council Laboratories (UK)
Lindsay B. Stewart: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
David J. Conway: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Steffen Borrmann: KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme
Pascal Michon: Faculty of Health Sciences, Divine Word University
Issaka Zongo: Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sant
Jean-Bosco Ouédraogo: Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sant
Abdoulaye A. Djimde: Malaria Programme, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Ogobara K. Doumbo: Malaria Research and Training Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry, University of Bamako
Francois Nosten: Centre for Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford
Arnab Pain: Pathogen Genomics Laboratory, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
Teun Bousema: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Chris J. Drakeley: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Rick M. Fairhurst: Malaria Pathogenesis and Human Immunity Unit, Laboratory of Malaria and Vector Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
Colin J. Sutherland: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Cally Roper: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Taane G. Clark: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Malaria is a major public health problem that is actively being addressed in a global eradication campaign. Increased population mobility through international air travel has elevated the risk of re-introducing parasites to elimination areas and dispersing drug-resistant parasites to new regions. A simple genetic marker that quickly and accurately identifies the geographic origin of infections would be a valuable public health tool for locating the source of imported outbreaks. Here we analyse the mitochondrion and apicoplast genomes of 711 Plasmodium falciparum isolates from 14 countries, and find evidence that they are non-recombining and co-inherited. The high degree of linkage produces a panel of relatively few single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that is geographically informative. We design a 23-SNP barcode that is highly predictive (~92%) and easily adapted to aid case management in the field and survey parasite migration worldwide.

Date: 2014
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5052

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