Plasmodium falciparum: distribution of msp2 genotypes among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals from the Wosera region of Papua New Guinea

The merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) is a leading asexual-stage malaria vaccine candidate that has already proven to have an effect in phase I/IIb vaccine trials, where it was tested in combination with other antigens. Alleles of msp2 fall within two major allelic families, 3D7 and FC27. We analyzed the msp2 genotype in 306 asymptomatic and 63 symptomatic infections from the Wosera region of Papua New Guinea. The multiplicity of infection and the distribution of msp2 alleles was similar to that found in previous studies in the region, but there was no association found between FC27-type or 3D7-type forms of MSP2 and clinical malaria. Index Descriptors and Abbreviations: Plasmodium falciparum; Apicomplexan parasites; Malaria; Antigenic diversity; Vaccine candidates; Morbidity; MSP1, merozoite surface protein 1; MSP2, merozoite surface protein 2; AMA1, apical membrane antigen 1; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; PCR, polymerase chain reaction; RFLP, restriction fragment length polymorphism; bp, base pairs; PNG, Papua New Guinea