Abstract
Patients living in endemic areas can carry a mixture of Plasmodium falciparum genotypes. To investigate the genetic composition of parasite genotypes in malaria patients during the acute phase of the infection, we performed close follow-ups of 17 Gabonese pediatric patients aged 2–7 years. Capillary blood samples were taken on admission and every 4–6 h after the start of quinine therapy. Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) genotypes were used to assess the parasites’ genetic characteristics in each sample. We found that each patient carried parasites with the same genotypic pattern throughout the infection.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the study participants and their parents. We are grateful to the laboratory staff in Lambaréné for the help. We thank Marcel Nkeyi, Anselme Ndzengue, Ariane Ntseyi, Andrea Weierich and Sylvelia Grummes for technical assistance. The study was conducted in accordance with the Guidelines for good clinical practices and for human experimentation in clinical research of the Ministry of Public Health and Population of Gabon.
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Missinou, M.A., Kun, J.F.J. & Kremsner, P.G. No change in parasite genotype during single episodes of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Gabonese children. Parasitol Res 93, 322–327 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-004-1137-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-004-1137-1