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ALLELIC DIMORPHISM IN THE MEROZOITE SURFACE PROTEIN-3 IN KOREAN ISOLATES OF PLASMODIUM VIVAX

To study the genetic diversity of re-emerging Plasmodium vivax in the Republic of Korea, nucleotide sequence variations at the merozoite surface protein-3 (PvMSP-3) locus were analyzed using 24 re-emerging isolates and 4 isolates from imported cases. Compared with the well known Belem strain (Brazil), a large number of amino acid substitutions, deletions, and insertions were found at the locus of the isolates examined. The Korean isolates were divided into two allelic types; type I (15 isolates), similar to the Belem strain, and type II (9), similar to the Chess strain (New Guinea). Isolates from imported cases were classified into three types; type III (1 from Malaysia), similar to type B from western Thailand, type IV (1 each from Indonesia and India), and type V (1 from Pakistan), both being new types. Our results have shown that the MSP-3 locus of re-emerging Korean P. vivax is dimorphic with two allelic types coexisting in the endemic area.

Received March 9, 2004. Accepted for publication July 2, 2004.

Financial support: This study was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (2003; grant no. 03-PJ1-PG1-CH01-0001) and BK21 Human Life Sciences, Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea.

Authors’ addresses: Eun-Taek Han, Department of Parasitology, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chunchon 200-701, Korea, Telephone: 82-33-250-7941, Fax: 82-33-242-7571. Tae-Eui Song, Jae-Hwan Park, Eun-Hee Shin, Sang-Mee Guk, and Jong-Yil Chai, Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and the Institute of Endemic Disease, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 110-799, Korea, Telephone: 82-2-740-8342, Fax: 82-2-765-6142. Tae-Yun Kim, Institute of Malariology and Department of Parasitology, Inje University College of Medicine, Pusan 614-735, Korea, Telephone: 82-51-890-6731, Fax: 82-51-890-6792.

Reprint requests: Jong-Yil Chai, Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, and Institute of Endemic Disease, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul 110-799, Korea, E-mail: cjy{at}snu.ac.kr.